Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger
by Psychoblue
Summary: Under the power of their Divine Fists, chaos shall never thrive! Continuing from events in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6.
1. Revival

Hey, I'm back!

After a very nerve-racking end to my freshman year, I'm back to writing again.

This particular fic is a tribute to the Japanese televison franchise Super Sentai, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. While this will probably be a bizarre fic at first glance, I do hope that it is as enjoyable as King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, if not moreso enjoyable.

For those of you that wanted a sequel to KIOFT6...here you go. It doesn't contain any sort of tournament, but it expands upon events after KOIFT6.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

This fic was written in memory of Machiko Soga, who died last May at the age of 68.  
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_I am Kazuya Mishima, the one true heir of the Mishima Zaibatsu. I tell myself this over and over again, and I have yet to grow tired of it. I never knew my mother, and my relationship with my father is, to say the least, remarkably sour. Voices constantly whisper within the dark recesses of my mind and my heart, goading me to ruin. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which voice is my own and which is that of my "other self."_

_I have garnered many, many enemies over the years, and scarce few allies. The ones I had gained, however, I treated them as if they were mere puppets…until recently. Until the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, where one of my former associates at G-Corporation decided he would play mind games with my already-crowded psyche. He alone managed to turn my Devil powers inside out and nearly killed me using methods that didn't seem to have anything to do with conventional science. Looking back on it, I would have certainly been slain if not for her…Jun Kazama…the mother of my offspring._

_I will not go into the details of how she came to be amongst the living once again. The methods that were used are strictly confidential, even for you. You can ask her yourself; but she will most likely tell you the same thing._

_Despite her naiveté, Jun has always had a good grip on reality. After being dead for the past seven years, she regained memories of her former life rather quickly…including her attempt to relieve me of that particular voice in my head that I am so well-acquainted with. Although my…compassion seems to have become more apparent since her return, my fists are still as powerful as they ever were…perhaps even stronger, now that the voices in my head are beginning to become quieter as my mind becomes stronger…or so I originally thought. The tale I will soon tell you disproves that._

_Aside from Jun, there is my adopted brother, Lee Chaolan. He and I were never "good friends," but Chaolan has always been willing to lend a hand if I asked him for it. Perhaps it is fear of my wrath that keeps him from refusing, though he has fought me in combat a few times with the soul of a dragon. Nevertheless, he is a valuable ally, and we have both agreed that when the time comes, we will take the Zaibatsu together._

_I never asked for redemption, and I never intended on actively seeking it. Perhaps, deep down, Jun was fully aware of this. Of course, she will never admit to it. It is a simple matter of pride and honor. We are warriors: both she and I realize that we must pave our own way through fate._

_And fate granted me with a chance to both get my revenge and my redemption simultaneously: the destruction of G-Corporation. My desire for revenge against them is so great, that I have even sided with my loathsome father. Of course, familial ties were not what brought us together, but a common foe: a foe that I intended to destroy by any means necessary…_

-----  
KLANG!

The metallic sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the massive room as a middle-aged Japanese man hurled the gargantuan battle ax that he was carrying onto a large table in the center of the room. Wiping the sweat off of his brow, the man brushed off his purple tuxedo that he was wearing and took a look around the room.

Twenty-two years ago, this room was a laboratory where dark experiments were carried out using live animals to create monstrosities of nature for the Mishima Zaibatsu. After Kazuya Mishima lost the power of the Zaibatsu, his father Heihachi shut down the facility in an attempt to cover up the illegal activities the company had undergone. This room, and the building that it resided in, eventually became forgotten: condemned into obscurity on the outskirts of Tokyo.

_Even if this doesn't work out, at least being here brings back some old memories,_ Kazuya thought as he pulled out a small handbook from under his pocket. _Now where is that crippled fool? My pocket agenda says that he arranged to be here right about-_

Hearing the door behind him creak, Kazuya raised his head and turned around. Limping in front of him now was a bald, frail-looking man wearing a white lab coat and dark black pants and shoes and his eyes covered with orange shades. Despite his appearance, Kazuya knew that this old man was more sinister than his visage led people to believe.

"Hello, Dr. Abel," the Japanese man nodded as the elder man continued to limp towards him with his walking stick clicking on the cold metal floor, "I hope you have brought your copy of the book with you: unfortunately my hands were full carrying this impressive item you see on the table here."

"Of course I brought the book with me. I may be crippled, but I'm not senile," the scientist said as he handed the large book that was under his free arm to the Japanese man. "I wouldn't see why you want this rubbish for the experiment: all this hocus-pocus lunacy is child's play."

"I thought the exact same thing only two weeks ago," Kazuya growled as he opened the book to the bookmarked page, "and I can guarantee you that not all of it is 'lunacy.' This particular book happens to come from my father's library. If I wasn't going to use it, Heihachi would have used it first…and I'm not about to let him spoil all my fun."

"Speaking of whom, I do not think he will be too pleased when he finds out that I'm working for you now," Dr. Abel hobbled over to another area of the room and pulled an electrode out from a dial on the wall and then stretched it out until it was long enough to follow him back to the table at the center of the room.

"And that is why I am paying you top dollar for you skill…and your silence," Kazuya walked over to Dr. Abel and too the electrode from his hand and replaced it with a $1000 American dollar bill. "Even though all of us are after G-Corporation, there are still some things I want kept private."

"After this, I'll send you all the equipment you need from my private lab. I don't have the strength anymore to be directly involved, but if it means taking down that treacherous Bryan Fury and his current employers at G-Corporation…" Dr. Abel's voice became cold and bitter as he trailed off. At the conclusion of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, Bryan Fury had attacked him and nearly killed him, but instead severely damaged the old man's spine. Abel was fortunate that he could still walk at all, although just barely. _I was the one who brought him back from the dead,_ Abel thought angrily as he turned his back to Kazuya, _how dare he do that to me, the ungrateful lout…_

"Very well…now let's begin." Kazuya put the book he was holding on a nearby chair and clipped the electrode onto the blade of the battle ax that was lying on the table and picked it up. With a loud scraping sound, Kazuya used the long and heavy weapon to carve a large circle around the table, and then he carefully drew a distinct pattern inside the circle he had created. _It would have been easier to do this in chalk, rather than ruin the tile work,_ Kazuya mused as he finished drawing the pentagram, and sat the ax next to the table, _but if I want this to succeed, the ax has to be the one that draws it._

The ax was nearly seven feet in length, its handle made of a sturdy wood and its blade metallic and dark gray. Kazuya had purchased the ax via an online auction from a reliable buyer in Egypt. Carbon dating proved it: the ax had originated from the 16th century. The auctioneer had dubbed the ax "Kutules" and back when it was first created, it belonged to a powerful and evil warrior.

"Dr. Abel…please hand me the scalpel that you have just finished sterilizing. Bring the gauze tape with you. Once you have done that, go over to the switch that will activate the electrode on the ax." Kazuya removed his trademark red fingerless gloves from his hands and put them in his pocket while the scientist handed him a surgical scalpel and a roll of gauze tape. Once he put the gauze in his pocket and Abel hobbled over to his position…Kazuya slit his palm and let his cursed blood drip onto the table that the ax was leaning on. "Okay, doctor…HIT IT!"

Pulling down the lever that activated the electrode, the blade of the ax began to glow a bright blue as sparks began flying out of it, one million volts flowing into the blade. As the blade continued to shoot sparks, the carvings on the floor started to glow along with it, eventually passing that glow onto the table that Kazuya was bleeding on. The blood sizzled: quietly at first, but in mere seconds hissed loud enough for even Abel to hear.

"Umo gue-gue famitsao. Umo gue-gue famitsao. Umo gue-gue famitsao…"

Kazuya quietly chanted an incantation of the blood spread across the table, and then seemed to rise like a loaf of bread. The chanting became louder as Kazuya wrapped his hand in gauze tape, stopping the flow of blood onto the table. But the pool continued to spread across the table, and its texture continued to fluctuate.

Within seconds, the blood-blob formed into a shape of a humanoid figure; it was at least six-and-a-half feet in height, and its muscles were big and powerful. More seconds pass, and the body developed more distinguishable features: spiked metal shoulder pads ebony in color, two iron armguards as spiked as the pads, dark brown pants with a black skull covering the crotch area, and iron boots that seemed to have rivets dug into the ankles. What was most intriguing about the creature was that its skin was a sickly beige color, and on its chest was its pinkish heart, beating for all to see.

Now shouting at the top of his lungs, Kazuya's neon blue ki crackled in his hand and he put it just above the creature's head, which was bald and its mouth covered in black rubber. Suddenly, Kazuya stopped chanting, placing the crackling hand on the forehead of the monster. With a mighty shout, Kazuya roared as the creatures eyes shot open: white orbs that were as if they were pearls. "MEZAMERU…ASTAROTH, BLACK GIANT OF ARES!"

As Kazuya screamed that mighty command, Dr. Abel quickly cut off the electricity running through the electrode. Taking a few steps back, Kazuya watched the creature as he rose up into a seating position and scratched his stomach. "Hmmm…what am I doing here?" Astaroth mumbled as he looked around the room. "I've never been in a place like this before…"

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Astaroth," Kazuya said calmly as he crossed his arms while the creature turned his head in surprise.

"You there; where the hell am I?" Astaroth's voice was filled with murderous intent as he jumped off the table and landed with a loud thud. "Are you the wise guy who has brought me here?"

"That is correct. You are now in the twenty-first century, and I was the one who revived you. As of now, you are officially under my employ."

"BAH! The mighty Astaroth works for no one," the monster picked up his ax. "Now why don't you do me a favor and die, peon?"

_Imbecile,_ Kazuya thought as he dodged Astaroth's downwards slash, the ground cracking as the blade smashed against it. _Looks like it's time for a little discipline…_

"Hmph…so managed to dodge," the creature said with a hint of amusement while he pulled his ax from the tile work. "Let's see if you can do that again…"

"I won't have to," Kazuya's left eye glowed as he began walking towards Astaroth. However, the creature did not do anything to guard himself. _What's this,_ Astaroth thought as he struggled to get his blade into a killing position, _I can't seem to move my arms! Why that little-_

Moving with lightning-quick speed, Kazuya's hand lunged towards Astaroth's chest. Before the creature had a chance to scream, the Japanese man ripped out the creature's beating heart. "Do not underestimate me, brute. I am much more powerful than I appear to be…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH," the creature let loose a primal cry of agony as he clutched his chest. "You maggot! Give that back to me right now!"

"I would be glad to…all you have to do agree to do what I say and I shall give it back. You cannot lift your ax against me anyway because it was my blood that revived you. You might as well make the most of the situation that you are in." Kazuya tossed the heart up and down as if he were playing with a baseball. Although he was rather disgusted with holding such a slimy object in his hand, Kazuya did find the creature's agony amusing.

"Grrr…" Astaroth stopped screaming for a moment and sat down on the ground. Although tearing the man's heart out and returning the favor was prominent on his to-do list, he currently had no way of doing such a feat. _So until I find a way to break those ties…_ "…what kind of instructions? If it doesn't involve carnage and mayhem, then you might as well kill me now!"

Kazuya smirked as the creature stood back up and brushed himself off. "I can guarantee you that much blood will be shed before my use for you has ended. After that you can do whatever you wish. Doesn't sound like a bad deal, no?"

"…what's your name, peon?" Astaroth glared at the dark-gray haired man with anger, but at the same time he was gaining some sort of respect for this man…something that he shouldn't have been capable of feeling. _Bah…damn human blood…_

"My name is Kazuya Mishima," the Japanese man gave the creature back his heart, which Astaroth snatched from him and shoved it back into his chest, "Here is your first assignment…"


	2. Episode 1: Trouble on the Horizon

So the story modes for Dragunov and Lili are out on youtube...I WAS RIGHT!

The Russian government DOES want the Devil Gene! And if you look at the final screen of Drag's prologue where he's getting briefed on Devil Jin(who gets tortured by the Russians in Drag's ending...so I'll be sure to cover that in this fic when Sergei makes a cameo and explain why he acted like he did in my fic despite how he acts in DR)...there are 3 mugshots just under Drag's chin. One of Jin...one of Kazuya...AND ONE OF ASUKA(or at least, looks a heck of a lot like her.)

Lili's ending is funny too...gotta love how she falls in love with Ganryu. Just goes to show that don't count out the sumo pimp!

Anyhoo, Tekken is copyright Namco-Bandai Games, Inc. Super Sentai and Kamen Rider are copyrights of Toei and Bandai Ltd.

In other words, Tekken, Kamen Rider(also known as Masked Rider) and Super Sentai are all owned by Bandai.

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"Jin! I'm home!"

Opening to door to the great Mishima mansion, Ling Xiaoyu cheerily skipped into the main lobby and put her jacket on a nearby rack. Now in her final year of high school, Xiaoyu, with her slim body and long black hair tied back in pigtiails, was in particularly high spirits due to the knowledge of being so close to the next step of her life: the business world. Although her old dream of building her own amusement park in her homeland China was still one of her goals, Xiaoyu could now see that there were bigger, more important things to do before venturing into personal entertainment.

She now had a responsibility as a key figure of the Mishima Financial Empire.

At the conclusion of the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, Heihachi Mishima and Jin Kazama agreed to run the Mishima Financial Empire together in an effort to stand strong against the recent advances of G-Corporation. Though the two of them were blood-related, Jin greatly distrusted Heihachi, and that bothered Xiaoyu a great deal. She loved both of them dearly, and she promised herself that she would do anything to keep their alliance alive. Thus, when both Jin and Heihachi asked her if she was willing to take a more active part in the Financial Empire's activities…Xiaoyu leapt at the chance.

At the moment, most of the key members of the current Mishima Financial Empire were away. Heihachi was somewhere in the mountains on a training trip, Jun and Lee were on business in the states overseeing a major deal, and Kazuya was simply "away to contemplate his next move." Jin and Xiaoyu were the ones in charge while everyone was out doing their business…and that meant they had the place all to themselves: a fact that Xiaoyu relished.

"Jin?" Xiaoyu called out his name again, curious as to where her dear friend happened to be. She had helped arrange his daily schedule before she left for school: Jin had no appointments today. _I wonder where he is…maybe he's in the study?_

One of Jin's favorite places to go when he needed peace and quiet was the study room. A rather spacious room, the study allowed Jin do just about anything that required silence. It had a desk at which he could sign papers or do legal work involving his share of the Zaibatsu, and it was large enough so that he could practice his martial arts technique or perform a few kata. Xiaoyu had used the study for that purpose on a few occasions, and she was inclined to agree that the study room did have its benefits.

Xiaoyu's hunch was correct. Sitting at the desk in deep contemplation was a black-haired Japanese youth with his hair slicked back so it was standing in a point, his bangs hanging slightly in front of his face. Xiao smiled as she looked at Jin sitting there so silently. He truly was beautiful, with an impressive physique to boot: no matter how many times she saw him, her heart always skipped a beat.

"Hello, Xiao," Jin, wearing a dark gray muscle shirt and black sweatpants with red flames etched in them, murmured quietly as his gaze didn't move from the desk. "I didn't here you come in. I'm sorry…"

"No need to apologize, Jin," the young woman replied cheerfully. "You probably have your mind on something. Any chance you can tell me what it is?"

Pulling something out of his desk, Jin lightly tossed an object to Xiao, who caught it with one hand. The object was platinum in color, about the size of a computer mouse, and on it were two transparent yellow windows in the shape of kanji that she knew well: the two symbols meaning "Iron Fist" or "Tekken." Noticing a strap underneath the device, Xiaoyu wrapped the strap across her wrist and wore the device as a bracelet. _At least, that what I think I'm supposed to do with this thing…Jin has one strapped onto him, as well, except the kanji on his doohickey is red…_

"Hey Jin," Xiao walked over to Jin's desk, noticing that his expression hadn't changed at all since she entered the room. "What are these things?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," Jin shook his head as he looked up to make eye contact with Xiao. "When my mother left this morning, she gave me three of those things and told me that something bad was about to happen…that the conflict between the Zaibatsu and G-Corporation was about to spill wide open and it would be up to us to make sure that it was contained so that no innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire…and then she just left it at that."

"You mean, just like that she left?"

"Exactly, and I haven't been able to get my mind off of it," Jin stood out of his chair and walked to a nearby window, looking out at the massive estate of the mansion. "I remember the last time my mother told me that something bad was about to happen…and sure enough it happened, and I believed her to be dead for the next seven years. When Mom says that something is going to happen, chances are that it's guaranteed. She also told me that-"

BZZT!

Walking away from the window and back to his desk, Jin turned on the intercom and saw that the transmission had come from the front door. It seemed he had a visitor. "How may I help you?" Jin said with sincerity as he spoke into the intercom.

"Hey, Jin! Any chance you could let me in?" The voice was obviously female, with an accent that Jin instantly identified as an Osaka dialect. Before Jin could turn the intercom off, however, Xiaoyu was already racing to open the door for the familiar voice.

Opening the door, Xiaoyu spotted her friend: a voluptuous Japanese teenager with short brown hair, wearing a white tanktop, a silver sleeveless jacket, and a pair of light blue jeans. It was none other then Asuka Kazama, Jin's cousin from Osaka. "Asuka! It's been a while," Xiaoyu said as the two girls hugged each other for a couple of seconds before going inside. "What brings you to Tokyo?"

"Nothing much," Asuka said as she put the two suitcases she was carrying onto the couch in the main lobby. "I'm just here to visit my relatives, and also to give Kenichi his schoolwork, being that he's at Mt. Fuji now."

"Oh, that's right...he's the cute brown-haired guy you introduced me to," Xiaoyu snapped her fingers as she recalled the 18-year-old youth who competed in the previous King of Iron Fist tourney. "Yoshimitsu told me at the arcade last week that he's doing really well, and he's already reached the rank of 'genin' or whatever it is that denotes rookie ninjas. He also told me that Kenichi's actually learning to use that sword that he carried around with him the last tournament!"

"Are you joking? Kenichi hates using swords," Asuka raised an eyebrow as she heard Xiaoyu mention "sword" and "Kenichi" in the same sentence. "If Kenichi is using a sword, I'm just going to give him some room so I don't get hacked to bits along with him!" _Although one of the reasons he left was because he wanted to give me some time to think after all that happened to us during the last tournament, _Asuka added in her mind as she recalled her friend and rival's solemn words before she left for Osaka. _What an idiot! I didn't want time to myself. I wanted to get freakin' NAKED with him…and maybe have a few more sparring matches…_

"Well, anyway," Xiaoyu continued, "you're welcome to stay here, Asuka. Maybe we can share a room!"

"Hmmm…late night pillow fights," Asuka rubbed her chin thoughtfully before raising an eyebrow and smiling. "That's sounds kick-ass! Now where's the TV room? Kamen Rider is going to be on any second now, and I want to watch it on your awesome hi-def television!"

"Hello, Asuka," Jin walked into the main lobby just before Xiao could show Asuka to the recreation room. "It's good to see you again. I'm afraid my mother isn't here right now…however she did leave you a present."

"She left me a present?" Asuka repeated the words with a hint of surprise. "Well, that was nice of her! Come on, I wanna see!" Catching the item that Jin threw at her, she looked down at the object in her hand with curiosity. It was just like the devices that Jin and Xiaoyu were wearing on their wrists, except the kanji on Asuka's happened to be milky white. "Cool gadget…what does it do?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Asuka," Jin walked with the two girls into the recreation room. "I've spent all morning trying to figure what these things do. I guess it's something that'll come to use later." Picking up the remote from top of the television, he went over to a couch and sat down next to Xiaoyu and Asuka. "I think Kamen Rider is on TV-Asashi…"

Pressing the 'on' button on the remote, the TV instantly displayed a sharp crisp picture and the speakers activating along with them. However, what the trio witnessed was not the famed tokusatsu hero destroying a fiend in a rubber suit, but a black-haired Asian woman dressed in formal business attire with a microphone in her hand.

"-47 people have already been confirmed dead in the Marunouchi Building slaughter that has been going on the past hour, thirty of them policemen that were sent in to stop the suspect responsible. The suspect has been confirmed to have done all of this using nothing but a giant battle ax. So far firearms have proven ineffective against this juggernaut. Negotiators are about begin-"

Jin quickly turned the TV off and put on some shoes. It couldn't have been a coincidence that his mother had told him that things were about to go crazy in Tokyo, and the very same day someone is killing innocent people in a crowded part of the business district. One thing was certain: Jin Kazama would not stand idly by while bystanders got hurt. "Xiao, Asuka…let's go."

-------------

_1 hour later…_

_You did well, Astaroth, but I would have preferred if you didn't slaughter the policemen, _Kazuya's voice whispered in the behemoth's ear via a miniature radio as the monster walked down the stairs back onto the first floor. _I told you only to kill everyone within that office space. I don't wait blood being spilled if it doesn't have to…at least, not while I'm not there._

"Hey, they entered the space, and that made it my turf," Astaroth smiled beneath his mask as he put his bloody axe down and buttoned up his trenchcoat that he wore inside the building. "Tell me, boss…what's a television?"

…_a television is something that I'm sure you would find fascinating. When you return, I will show you what a tele-_

"There he is!"

Darting around to see where the voice had come from, Astaroth looked down and saw three young people pointing at him. After looking at them for a second, the behemoth felt a feeling of excitement pulse through him. Each one of them possessed an impressive fighting aura. _Now that Soul Edge is gone, _Astaroth murmured as he picked up his axe and jumped down the staircase, _I can harvest these souls for myself!_

Landing on the ground level with a thud, Astaroth looked at Jin, Asuka, and Xiao with amusement. It seemed that they intended to challenge him.

"Hey buddy, Kamen Rider got cancelled because of you," Asuka pointed an accusing finger at the golem. "No one does that to my favorite show and gets away with it!"

"I don't know who this 'Kamen Rider' is, wench," the giant bellowed as he continued to observe the group in front of him, "but you better watch your tone, or else you'll find your head on the ground…and your body still standing up!" The giant began to tap the butt of his axe on the floor: lightly at first, but quickly beginning to increase in force and volume. When the tapping evolved into banging, something began to burst from the floor, like a zombie crawling out of its grave.

The creatures were obviously reptilian, but they stood on two legs and had five fingers like a human being. Their skin was red in color, and their bodies were covered in sleeveless bronze body armor with sliver ankle braces and armguards. Their eyes were wide and their teeth were sharp. With their long prehensile tails, Jin originally mistook them for long-extinct raptors. Upon closer inspection, however, he could see that these creatures were not at all natural.

"Here's the deal," Astaroth planted the blade end of his axe on the ground and leaned against it slightly, "if you peons want to play with me, then first you must defeat all of these lizard-men. Either way…you die here!" Seeing the three youths begin to panic slightly Astaroth bellowed out that awful order: "KILL THEM ALL!"

The creatures reached Asuka first, who sent the first creature that reached her crashing into the ones behind her with a forward palm thrust. Grabbing one of the creature's legs, she pulled it towards her then tossed it over her shoulder in a vacuum throw…Right into Jin's roundhouse kick then sent into careening into more of the creatures.

Following Asuka's example, Xiaoyu flipped over a lizard-man's bite and grabbed the creature by its tail as soon as she landed behind it. Using of the strength she could muster, she knocked it into the air with a high kick, and then grabbed the creature's tail in mid-air and used it as a bludgeon against its comrades. This sent the creature and its comrades flying backwards.

_Damn…I can't take much more of this, _Jin cursed under his breath as the creatures continued to pop out of the ground faster than he could knock them out. _I just have to stop from dogpiling on us. _Hearing a scream, Jin looked and saw Xiao and Asuka surrounded by the lizard-men and the sound of blows landing. _Dogpiling on us…just like that! _Wading through the hordes of monsters, Jin did his best to come to their aid, but try as he might there seemed to be no end to them.

His gaze turned to Astaroth, who was now walking toward the mob of monsters where Xiaoyu was, his ax in his hand. _My god…Xiao! _Jin doubled his efforts to break through the lizard-men. If he didn't hurry up…he didn't even want to think about what Astaroth would do.

"You're first, China-girl," the golem wiped off his axe and raised it over his head just as Xiao knocked away a lizard-man that tried to grab her. "Say good-night!"

"XIAO!" Jin's red ki began to crackle around his body as he knocked away the lizard-men holding him back and made a mad dash towards Astaroth.

But as his ki crackled…the kanji on his wrist device began to glow. The light from the device was so bright that even Astaroth put down his ax in curiosity.

The red light engulfed Jin's entire body, causing everyone in the room to avert their eyes so as they wouldn't become blinded. Jin let loose a roar as the light continued to embrace his body and soul, changing him for better or worse…and when the light faded and the screaming quieted, Jin had taken on an entirely different appearance…a powerful mix of red, gold, and platinum.

The torso was now adorned with platinum body armor with two shoulder pads of the same color attached to it. On the body armor a red jewel that shone as Jin breathed heavily. The rest of the body was covered with a red body-suit, with the wrists and boots being the same platinum color as the torso. Around the waist was a golden belt, bond together with a platinum buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." Jin's face, and his entire head, was now covered with a round red helmet, with only black visor with gold trim in front of the eyes allowing for sight. At the side of the visor on both sides was the number "5" written in gold.

_Holy Toledo, _Xiaoyu was mesmerized along with everyone on that floor as she took a look at Jin's new attire, _Jin morphed into a superhero!_

Looking back up, Jin ran towards Astaroth and sent him spiraling backwards with a right hook, and then darted back around to see all of the lizardmen move away from Asuka and Xiao and converge onto his position. However, as soon as they reached them, Jin sent fifteen of them flying into the air with a powerful uppercut: his Electric Thrust Godfist, the tail of the first lizard-man uppercutted launching the creature behind with it, until it became a domino effect. It was clear that Jin was much more powerful when he was like this. All Xiao and Asuka could do was gape in wonder.

"What…are you waiting for, girls," Jin yelled as the lizard-men began running away from Jin and back towards Asuka and Xiaoyu, believing them to be easier targets. "Gathering your ki triggers it, so please hurry and help me out!"

"R-right," Asuka and Xiaoyu nodded as they focused their energy into their fists…and just as Jin said, it activated a reaction in their wrist devices. However, unlike Jin (whose ki had been brought up by rage), Xiao and Asuka were quiet as pure energy surged in their veins…following Jin's lead in morphing into something greater.

The light around the two young women faded as they looked at their new garments. They were almost exactly like Jin's, except where there was red on Jin with a number "5" on the helmet, there was now yellow for Xiaoyu with the number "4" and white for Asuka with the number "2"…except while Xiaoyu's jewel was yellow like her suit, Asuka's was a bright pink. Another feature exclusive to the two girls were that just below the belt, there was a skirt of their respective colors

But the skirt wasn't what bothered Asuka.

"Hey, what the heck is this?" Asuka shouted out her discomfort as she looked at that horrid girlish jewel that was between her breasts. "I'm supposed to be the white one! Why is there this pink thing right here? I HATE PINK!" Looking up at the lizard-men still charging at her, Asuka began to spin towards the horde. "Now I'm mad. TAKE THIS!"

After the third spin, Asuka sent a wide arc of lizard-men sprawling backwards with her Spinning Heel Drop. Once she did that, she once again began landing blows upon the monsters, having much more luck getting her attacks through the creatures' thick hides than before.

Not to be outdone by her friend, Xiaoyu flipped over another lizard-man and this time landed on its head. Riding the creature like a rider on a bucking bronco, Xiaoyu used her 'steed' to run down its comrades as it kicked and thrashed trying to get this yellow-clad woman off of it. Once she felt she had done enough, she smacked it in the temple, and the creature crumpled to the ground unconscious.

Just as Xiao and Asuka were about to engage the next set of creatures, however, a loud shriek pierced their ears (which, fortunately, were protected slightly by their helmets.) Every combatant turned around to see Jin and a fallen lizard-man that was bleeding at the mouth…and it was missing the bottom half of its mouth, which was now in Jin's other hand.

Jin had ripped the creature's jaw out.

Seeing such a feat of gargantuan strength, the remaining lizard-men quickly retreated into the holes that they came out of. "What are you doing? Get back here, you cowards," Astaroth shook his fist at the creatures as the last one dug its way back into the earth. Looking at the three youths, Astaroth prepared to engage in battle…until a familiar voice yelled in his ear.

_Astaroth, what's taking so long? Get back here now or I'll paralyze your lungs!_

_Grrr…spoilsport, _Astaroth muttered to himself as he ran past his opponents and smashed the front door of the building open without stopping his run. _I'll get them next time…they can count on it!_

Asuka and Xiaoyu thought about chasing after him, but their bodies ached from the reptilian mob they had just faced. By the time the decided to let it pass, Astaroth had already gone out of sight.

Hearing a rather disturbing panting noise, Asuka and Xiaoyu slowly turned back to Jin and realized the sound was coming through him. His red suit was now covered in crimson as the creature at his feet bled to death and breathed its last. Clearly Jin hated killing, and after he just brutally slaughtered the creature that had tried to two of the most important women in his life, it was certainly quite unsettling.

"Ah man," Asuka looked at Jin with a hint of worry in her voice, "…sounds like he's beginning to freak out…"

Undoing the clips at the sides of her helmet, Xiaoyu unmasked herself as she slowly walked towards Jin with her arms outstretched. She had seen Jin deal with this before prior to the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, when he was running the Zaibatsu alone. Xiaoyu was always aware that she was the only thing standing between a calm Jin and a Jin that reveled in bloodshed.

"Jin…calm down," Xiaoyu gently hugged Jin from behind and stroked his back, "…it's over…so please…calm down."

The panting became quieter as Xiaoyu lightly embraced Jin. After a few seconds, the panting had ceased entirely, and Jin regained his composure and dropped the jaw in his hand. Holding Xiao's hand with his free hand, Jin looked behind him and nodded at his friend. Even though Xiao couldn't see his face due to his red helmet, that was Jin's way of saying it was OK.

"So…the bastard got away," Asuka walked over to the couple and handed Xiaoyu back her helmet. "I guess we'll get him next time, right guys?"

"…yeah…that's right, Asuka." Jin straightened himself and nodded in approval while Xiaoyu clipped her helmet back on. "Next time we'll send that freak into the depths of Mt. Fuji!"

"Hey Jin," Xiaoyu pointed at Asuka's "2" on her helmet, "I noticed how there are numbers on our helmets…but if you're 5, and I'm 4, and she's 2…what happened to 1 and 3?"

"Hmm…I guess there are other people with these powers, Xiao," Jin said as the trio began to walk out the door. "Chances are we'll meet them soon enough, though. Now come on: let's head back so I can shower this offal off of me…"

As soon as they walked out the hole in the wall that was once the door, however, there were deafening cheers and a mob of paparazzi…apparently a shower would have to wait…

-------

_Just who are these mysterious 'Shinkengers', whose name was announced by the woman in white? The Shinkengers, who stemmed the slaughter caused by the mysterious killer with a battle ax earlier today, told the press that they would track the monster down, and then left in a limousine that was parked nearby. In other news-_

Kazuya turned the television off as he looked next to him and saw Astaroth sitting on the couch that Kazuya had brought in (being that he was going to be spending an awful lot of time in the abandoned lab, he might as well make it cozier). "You did well, Astaroth," Kazuya nodded his head at the behemoth, "but what are you going to do with these interlopers? Remember, I want nothing to be traced back to me."

"…I'm going to strangle the life out of them," Astaroth grumbled.

"You will do no such thing…you can break their arms and legs, but I want them brought to me in one piece. I must know the secret of their transformation," Kazuya walked away as Astaroth picked up the remote control and turned the television back on.

_Who are these interlopers, _Kazuya stroked his chin as he went to get a drink of water. _I must find out how they acquired that much power without my noticing…but until then…let there be war! _


	3. Episode 2: Kicked up a Notch

C.Nash1: Hey man, I'm REALLY sorry I've not been able to come! I've been so busy this summer I've had no time to stay up late enough...EVEN ON SATURDAYS! Tell Shin that I'll try to get on soon, and I hope he's enjoying high school(if he's not still being home-schooled)

Well everyone, time for the next battle!

Shinkenger...ROCK ON!

-----------

"Hey girls, I think I might have found something," Jin ran out of the Mishima mansion's library with a stack of papers in his hand as he called out to Asuka and Xiaoyu, who were in the recreation room watching television. It had been only a day since the three youths battled the strange monster and its horde of reptilian creatures; only a day since the trio received the power to morph into fighters that Asuka dubbed "Shinkengers." Although Jin and the others were still curious as to if there were others with that kind of power, their primary concern lay in finding out just who that monster with the battle axe was.

"Fortunately, I was able to find information on our pale friend via the Internet," Jin spread the papers out on a coffee table as Asuka and Xiaoyu turned off the television and walked over to where Jin was standing. Lying on the table were numerous illustrations of the creature, some of which dating back to the sixteenth century. Most of the pictures featured him ravaging houses, ripping off heads, and standing amongst a field of skulls. Each of the documents referred to the creature as "Astaroth."

"So this Astaroth guy is over five-hundred years old," Xiaoyu picked up one of the pictures from the table and gave it a closer inspection. "I wonder why he's decided to show up now…"

"I'm more worried about who he's working for," Asuka turned away from the table and began to pace across the room whilst rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Did you notice how he ran away right before he was going to fight us? It seems to me like he's getting orders from someone else; especially since he only killed people in a certain room."

"Hmmm…that's a good point, Asuka," Jin turned around and headed back to the library. "If we can find out what office he attacked, then maybe we can make some connection between-"

Suddenly, Jin felt a buzzing in his pocket just as he was about to leave the room. Taking out his cell phone and flipping it open, Jin put it to his ear while Xiaoyu and Asuka looked in curiosity. "Hello?"

"Jin! I hope you're reading for your ass-beating!"

The Japanese youth rolled his eyes as he heard that familiar voice. In all honesty, he would have been content if he didn't have to put up with it. "What are you talking about, Hwoarang? I'm really busy right now…"

"'Busy?' I've been waiting for three years now for you and I to get our rematch! First I had to put up with the idiots at the army, and then I hear that you got shipped off to Russia, and after that you're the head of the Zaibatsu! The last time I was getting ready to face you, that damn grandpa of yours knocked me out of the tournament! I'm tired of waiting: we're settling this now, King of Iron Fist or no"Hwoarang's voice was full of agitation as he yelled over the phone. "I'm right now at the Mishima High School courtyard, in front of the golden statue of that big idiot: be there in forty-five minutes."

"Forty-five minutes? Hwoarang, this is a little sudden: I don't know if you keep up with the world news or not, but there's a giant monster on the loose and-"

"Again with the excuses! When are you going to stop running away and finish what you started?"

Jin was silent as he heard Hwoarang say those words. Jin had promised Hwoarang a rematch in the past, but he continued to hold it off as other events occurred in his life…events such as his thirst for vengeance upon his Mishima kin, and his mind being torn apart by his Devil Gene. However, that was a year ago: Jin had now moved on from those nightmares, and could now pursue that rematch. _Maybe fighting Hwoarang will keep me primed in case Astaroth shows up, _Jin mused as he prepared to accept Hwoarang's challenge. _I've never been one to break my promises, and I don't intend to start now. _"Hwoarang, I'll be over there in a moment."

"Well, now that's more like it"Hwoarang's satisfaction was clear in his voice as Jin hung up his cell phone. "I'll be waiting right here!"

------------------

Mishima High School

5:00 PM

Mishima High School: the alma mater of Jin Kazama and the current school of Ling Xiaoyu. Owned and operated by the Mishima Zaibatsu, it is a school reserved for students with an exceptional desire to succeed. Many of the graduating students go on into the upper echelons of society, ranging anywhere from managers of major restaurants to executives of large businesses. In the courtyard was a twenty-foot statue of Heihachi Mishima, the founder of the school, made entirely of gold…

…a statue which three Korean men promptly spat on as they arrived in said courtyard.

"Man, too bad school's out right now," one of the men said, a black-haired individual wearing khakis and a leather jacket. "I wanted to get my hands on those fine Mishima High cheerleaders…"

"Har har! You and your hormones, Choi," another man, a bulky character with his hair in a mohawk dyed green wearing the same outfit, laughed obnoxiously at his comrade's comment. "Hey boss Hwoarang, did you hear what he said?"

"Yeah I heard what he said," the 'boss' Hwoarang replied as he hung up his cell phone. "And don't laugh like that, Jae…it makes you sound like an ass."

Hwoarang, with his spiky red-orange hair, was wearing a black sleeveless jacket with orange trim, with a design of a human skull splashed across the back. His black jeans and spurred ebony shoes hid his powerful legs that had won him worldwide renown, while his trademark goggles were bound across his forehead.

"Sorry about that, boss," the one known as Jae apologized as Hwoarang sat down on a nearby bench. "It's just that I'm trying to keep my spirits up. All the other guys either quit or were offed in gang wars when you were in the army. Choi and I just feel…you know…down in the dumps."

"And that, Jae, is why we're more than just gang buds: we're family now." Hwoarang stood back up and patted Jae on the shoulder. "We used to play everyone for fools in our street fights, up until that bastard Jin Kazama showed up. That's why I brought you along to Tokyo with me: I want to you see me defeat Jin fair and square. Then we're going to rebuild our gang." Hwoarang turned around and outstretched his arms to the setting sun. "Once I do that, you and Choi are going to be my lieutenants. We're going to weed out those other gangs…the kind that give gangs like us a bad name!"

"It's good to hear that boss," Choi walked in front of Hwoarang as he put his arms down and finished his speech. "Jae and I were always wondering when we were going to do some good in the world…what made you decide to turn over a new leaf?"

"Ehh…I dunno," Hwoarang shrugged as he continued gazing into the sunset. "After Master Baek came back, I've been doing some thinking… all these other gangs; they don't know what it means to be a fighter! I mean, yeah, we caused trouble and we'll keep on causing trouble with no regrets, but we never attacked innocent people or stuff like that…" A mischievous grin adorned the Korean's face as he finished his speech, "…or maybe I just want to clean up a bit so when the Olympic committee comes to town they don't screw me over because of some stupid 'indecent citizen' BS!"

"Now that's the boss we know," Jae laughed as he reached for his coat pocket. "That reminds me: before we left yesterday, your master asked that I give you this."

Taking the object out of Jae's hand just as his subordinate pulled it out of his pocket; Hwoarang inspected the item with curiosity. It was about as big as his fist; a platinum device with two black windows on it in the form of the two kanji meaning "Tekken." Looking at the strap beneath it, Hwoarang put in on his wrist. "So what is this supposed to do? You said Master Baek gave this to you?"

"I dunno why he gave it to me, boss," Jae rubbed the back of his hand lightly as he put his other hand in his pants pocket. "He just said that I should give it to you before you take on Kazama. Kinda weird, you know what I mean?"

"Maybe the old man's finally gone senile," Hwoarang mused as he inspected the object further. "However, I'm not going to turn down free stuff. Looks pretty expensive…"

"Hwoarang!"

Turning around upon hearing the voice behind him, Hwoarang cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Well, it's about damn time!"

Wearing his trademark black-and-red pants and red armguards with silver beads embedded into them, Jin took off his muscle shirt and tossed it to Xiaoyu, who was trailing behind him along with Asuka. Asuka was wearing a white-shirt and a pair of jeans, while Xiaoyu was dressed in a black sports bra, a yellow sweater jacket, and white sports pants. "I've been thinking about what you said, Hwoarang…and you're right! It's time we finished what we started!"

"Now that's what I want to hear, Jin." Hwoarang undid his jacket and tossed it to the nearby Choi as his two subordinates backed away, revealing his toned abdominal muscles. "Let's go cra-"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

Everyone in the court yard jumped up in surprise as a voice filled with murderous intent boomed in their ears. Jin, Asuka, and Xiao immediately assumed a fighting stance as they turned to face the source of the voice: a massive individual with sickly beige skin carrying a giant battle ax. Standing next to him was a medium-sized individual covered up completely in a black cloak, his face hidden beneath a hood.

"I've been looking for you three! This time I'll crush you for sure," Astaroth spun his ax in the air with primal fury as he made violent gestures to the trio that interfered with him the day before.

"Hey, buddy, wait your turn," Hwoarang, oblivious to the golem's vendetta, stepped forward to confront the monster. "I've been waiting a lot longer than you have to fight this guy, so butt out!"

"Hey, boss, isn't that the guy we saw on the news while we were on the plane?" Choi took out a knife from his jacket and pointed it at Astaroth. "Maybe if we take him out, we can drag him to the cops and get some major cash!"

"God, are you honestly that much of an idiot?" Asuka slapped her forehead as she heard the black-haired Korean utter his ambition. "That guy is serious trouble! He'll eat you for lunch…literally!"

"We're pretty serious trouble too, sweetheart," Jae cracked his knuckles and walked up next to Hwoarang as Choi prepared for battle. "It's your call, boss…what do we do?"

"I say we take this idiot's ax and shove it up his ass! Let's do it, you two!" Coming at Astaroth with a full run, Hwoarang shouted out his order as Jae and Choi followed his lead.

Suddenly, the fighter in the hood jumped into motion and roundhouse kicked the three fighters away simultaneously, sending them careening into Jin, Asuka, and Xiaoyu. "Sorry about that, asshats," the hooded fighter uttered smugly as he assumed a fighting stance, "but first you will have to deal with me!"

Xiaoyu ran over to Hwoarang and helped him up. Looking at his wrist, however, she noticed that he was wearing the very same contraption that was given to her the previous day. "Hey, Hwo…where did you get that thing on your wrist?"

"What difference does it make, Xiao? Now get the hell off of me," Hwoarang pushed her aside while Jae and Choi brushed themselves off and prepared for attack.

However, Choi looked at Xiao's wrist and noticed the device on it. "Hey boss, she's got the same doohickey that your master gave you!"

The hooded fighter started jumping up and down and pounding his chest like an ape. "If you morons are done kissing," the fighter said with impatience as it assumed a stance that was clearly that of Muay Thai kickboxing, "I've got a little ass-kicking for you!"

"The only one who is going to get a 'little ass-kicking' is you, nutjob," Asuka pointed her finger at the hooded one dramatically as she, Jin, and Xiaoyu stepped forward in confrontation. Charging their ki, their wrist devices glowed in unison as their bodies were enveloped in a blot of light.

Hwoarang and his two lieutenants shielded their eyes as the glow intensified while the respective suits of the Shinkengers formed around the bodies of Jin and his two female friends. "What the hell?" Hwoarang raised an eyebrow once the light faded and he gazed upon what stood on its place: three individuals masked with helmets and dressed in jumpsuits of the same color: one was red, another yellow, and the last one white.

"Aw man, that's so freakin' awesome," Choi stared in wonder as the Shinkengers assumed their respective fighting stances. "I used to love this show when I was a kid. Hey boss, you have one of those gadgets too, right? Join in on the fun!"

"Don't be a douchebag," Hwoarang shook his head in disagreement. "Why the hell would I want to embarrass myself in **that**?" However, once he saw Jin send the hooded fighter nearly fifty feet into the air with a Thrust Godfist(a feat which Hwoarang didn't deem possible), Hwoarang's skepticism quickly turned to amazement. _You've got to be kidding me…did Master Baek send me this thing because he knew Jin had one, too? Well, I'm not going to let Jin get the upper hand no matter how ridiculous he looks, _Hwoarang looked at his device as he pondered what to do next. _I guess once I get rid of these guys, Jin and I can duke it out and I can get rid of this thing…_

Following Jin's example and charging his ki, Hwoarang rolled his eyes as his wrist device glowed a dark purple and light enveloped his body. As Jae and Choi jumped back in surprise, Hwoarang said one sentence before the light engulfed him completely: "This is so retarded…"

Once the light faded, Jae and Choi's jaws hanged open in awe and wonder as their leader took on an entirely difference appearance: an intimidating combination of black, gold, platinum, and purple. The design of the suit was very much like Jin's, except wherever there was red, there was now black, and the number "1" replaced the "5". Across Hwoarang's upper legs were three black buckles, and in the center of his chest was a violet jewel, pulsating like a heartbeat. "Hey boss, you turned into a Pow-"

"Shut up, Choi. It's embarrassing as it is," Hwoarang shouted as he ran into the battle. "Thank god I'm wearing a helmet so no one can recognize me…"

Jumping in front of the hooded fighter and kicking him away, Hwoarang stepped backwards a few times until he was side by side with Asuka. "Don't get the wrong idea, babe. I'm just here so I can clear a path for Jin and I to fight on."

"Heh…then let's begin kicking ass," Asuka gave Hwoarang a thumbs-up as she resumed her fighting stance along with Jin and Xiaoyu.

"I'm not even going to ask why you were chosen to get a morpher," Jin said dryly while watching the hooded fighter flip back onto his feet. "However, I'll be glad to accept your help. For now…welcome to the team!"

"Grr…I hate to break up this moment of team spirit," the hooded fighter grabbed his cloak and began untying it as he spoke, "but I think it's high time that I stole the spotlight again!"

Tossing off his cape and mantle, the now unmasked kickboxer made his true appearance known. His skin was midnight blue, and there was dark orange hair growing from all across his body. There were orange bands tied around his elbows and knees, and yellow bandages around his hands and feet. What was most intriguing to the Shinkenger quartet however, was his ape-like face.

"Time that I introduce myself," the ape-faced kickboxer pointed a finger dramatically at the Shinkengers before assuming a fighting stance. "I'm Mong Kong, the Muay Thai gorilla! And this is the part where you beg for mercy!"

Tossing aside his guard, Mong Kong leapt high into the air and landed right in front of the Shinkengers. Taking advantage of their surprise, the monster began his assault by hitting Hwoarang with a knee to the face, turning around quickly to catch Jin's punch. Countering with another knee strike to send him flying, Mong Kong pounded his chest a couple of times before seeing his next two opponents.

Asuka and Xiaoyu both shot out their palms at the creature, sending the creature careening backwards and giving time for Hwoarang and Jin to catch their breaths. However, Mong Kong recovered faster than expected, and knocked the two girls down with a running shoulder check. Seeing Hwoarang come at him again, Mong Kong ducked down under his forward kick and sent him flying backwards with a spinning uppercut. "That's the spirit, kiddies! Keep those blows coming," Mong Kong jumped up and down slightly while swinging his long arms. "I'll take you all on at once! After all, that's what I was made for!"

"'This is what you were made for,'" Jin repeated as he blocked Mong Kong's elbow strike with one of his own. "Just who made you, anyway? Was it G-Corporation and their vice-president Sorel? This certainly seems like his sense of humor."

"Hah," Mong Kong laughed as he kicked Jin in the shin then sent him away with a roundhouse kick. "Sorry, but I don't know who you're talking about. But know this: after I beat the tar out of you and break your limbs, I'll drag your busted selves to our lair…where you can meet our master as he dissects you!"

"Sorry, pal," Hwoarang sent the preoccupied creature high into the air with a standing 180 degree roundhouse kick, his Talon Sky Rocket technique, "but I'm the only one who's going to be dissecting Kazama!" Knocking Mong Kong's body in the air once again as if he were a child with a soccer ball, Hwoarang pointed at Xiaoyu and jumped up after the monster, kicking him in Xiaoyu's direction.

"I got it!"

Xiaoyu knocked Mong Kong straight in the air with both hands as a volleyball player would before spiking a ball…which is exactly what Xiaoyu did as she slapped the creature's body to Asuka, who jumped up with a leaping roundhouse kick to send him spiraling…

…right into Jin, who had been crackling with his red ki while rearing back for his ultimate technique, the Eighth Gate of Hell. Letting loose a devastating punch, Jin hit his mark right into Mong Kong's chest, piercing the creature and finally sending him screeching to the ground.

"D-damn it…" Mong Kong struggled to breathe as the gaping hole in his chest shot out sparks like a sprinkler in a backyard. "Remember: just because you defeated me…doesn't mean that you'll be so lucky with the terrors to come!" The sparks continued to shoot out as he fell two his knees. Finally, as his body hit the ground, he was engulfed in a fiery explosion. When the dust cleared…he was gone, body and all.

"Heh…just like on TV," Asuka dusted off her hands as she admired the handiwork of her teammates. "Don't worry about us, monkey-man! No one can defeat the Shinken-"

"GAAAAGH!"

A death cry reached the ears of the quartet as the darted around behind them…upon doing so Hwoarang felt sorrow strike his heart. Standing in front of him a few meters away were Jae and Choi, their crimson blood pooling on the ground with massive gashes in their backs…and standing next to their bodies was Astaroth, his axe dripping with their fluids.

"Unforgivable! I'm going to send you straight to hell for that!" Jin made clear his disapproval of such a cruel act and ran towards Astaroth with his fist raised. Hwoarang, too grief-stricken and angered for words, let out a primal yell and followed after him.

"Be fortunate that my boss has asked that I leave you alone for now," Astaroth retorted smugly as he knocked the wind out of Jin with a devastating thrust using the back of his axe. "He just wanted me to send you a message with the demon he created especially for you: the best is to- ACK!"

Dropping his axe, Astaroth grabbed Hwoarang, who had latched onto his neck trying to snap it, and held him above his head. Letting the enraged Korean flail for a few seconds, he slammed Hwoarang into the ground then stood on his neck until the Korean's struggling slowed. "You wouldn't be the first who's wanted revenge on me, peon," Astaroth said as Hwoarang passed out. "But just remember: I won't be an easy target!"

Turning to Xiaoyu and Asuka, who remained in their fighting stance, Astaroth scoffed and said to them, "Nurse your friends back to health. I didn't do anything serious. But just remember: the best is yet to come."

Rushing to Jin and Hwoarang as Astaroth walked away, the two girls couldn't help but wonder how soon they would be able to find the fifth Shinkenger, and even when they did…how they would defeat such a creature that took out two of the best fighters on the planet with ease.


	4. Episode 3: Punch Out!

**Sachi:** Yes, Asuka DOES know of her origins, as this is the sequel to KOIFT6. However, she feels no need to tell Jin...yet. And yes, Jun is still alive. Why she decided to let Kazuya do the crazy stuff he doing now, even though she doesn't need him to tell her what he's doing...well that's a surprise for the end!

After this chapter, I'm going to be taking a break so I can focus on summer school again. If anyone wants to send me monster ideas, or plot ideas for episodes, be sure to drop me a line and I'll see what I can do!

Rock on...Shinkenger!

_------ _

_Established 1872, the Tokyo National Museum, or __Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan__, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects from Japan and other Asian countries. The museum holds over 110,000 articles, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure holdings and 610 Important Cultural Property holdings. The museum also conducts research and organizes educational events related to its collection._

_Astaroth had been watching television when he noticed a news report on an ancient shield that had arrived from London to be put on display in the Tokyo museum, at which point he called me into the room and informed me that the shield in question was actually one that he had fought against back in the 16th century. Astaroth demanded that he be allowed to retrieve this "Elk Shield" and crush it into dust so that he may settle a vendetta he had with the previous owner. _

_I was reluctant at first, due to how this would certainly bring unwanted attention to me if Astaroth was to be followed by the Shinkengers, whose identity Astaroth continued to keep secret. However, if this shield was worthy of Astaroth's attention to a point where he feared its power, then it could prove useful to me. _

_Of course, not everything went as planned…_

----------

"Grr…we're wasting time!"

Hwoarang pounded his fist on the coffee table as his patience wore out. It had only been one day since he was forced to bury his friends Jae and Choi thanks to the golem known as Astaroth after coming to Japan to fight Jin Kazama. Swearing vengeance on his friends' graves, Hwoarang had agreed to help Jin, Asuka, and Xiaoyu take Astaroth down…on the condition that he was the one that delivered the finishing blow.

The four of them had spent most of the day practicing their martial arts technique, being they still had no idea where to find Astaroth or what his next move would be. Jin was particularly disturbed by the strength of the "Mong Kong" monster that fought them. Even though the Shinkengers managed to destroy him, the gorilla had strength far above any human levels. Furthermore, they now had concrete proof that Astaroth was taking orders from someone else.

Hwoarang, of course, had just about had it with investigating something that couldn't possibly be found with the little evidence they had. As Jin began going over what he had found, the Korean made clear his agitation.

"How can we just sit here on our butts, when that monster is out there running free? I said I'd help you, but only if you'd help me get what I want!" Hwoarang stood up and headed for the door of the mansion. "It's becoming pretty clear that I won't be getting it listening to you!"

"Hwoarang, don't be an idiot," Asuka ran after him and grabbed his hand. "Let's say you do find him…what will you do then? Last time, he stood on your neck until you passed out! Try imagining what he'll do if you go at him alone!"

"Get your hand off of me, bitch!" Hwoarang angrily snatched his hand away and turned around. "You don't know what it's like to lose someone who's close to you! So don't preach to me about keeping a cool head!"

"What did you call me?" Asuka quickly assumed a fighting stance. "Say that in my face, asshole!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Jin's voice boomed with such power and ferocity that Asuka and Hwoarang immediately ceased quarreling. "I don't like being the dark any more than you do, Hwoarang, but there's no way we can take him out without first finding the last of our group!" Jin took a deep breath and sat back down as Hwoarang and Asuka walked back over to the coffee table. "However…I think we might be very close to finding that person…"

Standing up and walking over to the nearby answering machine, Jin pressed a button on the machine and a woman's voice began speaking:

_Hello, Jin? This is Vicky returning your call about Steve. As a matter of fact, he did have some kind of device on his wrist like the one you described when he left for Tokyo last week. He told me that Lei Wulong gave it to him in the mail and told him to keep it on him at all times. At any rate, I called Steve and told him that you called about him, and he says that he'll be glad to talk to you when he has a chance. Good luck on whatever it is you're doing!_

"Jin!"

Xiaoyu ran into the room just as the others finished listening to the recording. "Astaroth has been spotted at the Tokyo National Museum!"

----------

"No doubt about it: this is definitely the genuine article."

Astaroth looked at the display case in front of him after shoving aside a few more security guards that impeded his path. The shield inside the display case was blue in color, a gold insignia marked on its front. Astaroth was still unsure as what Kazuya would want with such an object, but he didn't really care. As long as he could desecrate the weapon of one of his former enemies, he was a happy golem.

But as he reached for the display case, however, Astaroth received a violent electric shock. Roaring in pain, Astaroth pulled his hand back in surprise. It seemed that the shield was booby-trapped. Raising his axe in frustration, he prepared to smash case open when he heard a voice behind him.

"Astaroth…please allow me. Our lord would be displeased if we damaged the shield."

Standing behind the golem was a most peculiar individual: he was wearing black suspenders and a white knit shirt with a rose pinned near his heart. His hands were covered in black gloves, and in each hand there was a foot-long metallic rod. What was most intriguing about him, however, was that his head was not shaped like anyone else's: it was the shape of an oversized horseshoe magnet, complete with a silver color and red-and-blue tipped ends.

"Hmph," Astaroth let out a grunt as he let the bizarre figure pass. "I suppose you're right, Polevolt. What do you have in mind?"

Clicking his Escrima sticks together, the one called "Polevolt" held them over his head as they began to crackle with yellow electricity. Once they were at full power, a beam shot out of each of their tips, surrounding the glass display which crackled with its own power. After a few seconds of the energies clashing, the glass case exploded and the shield flew towards Polevolt as if it was a spaceship caught in a tractor beam like in old science-fiction movies.

Catching the shield as it came his way, Astaroth tucked it over under his shoulder and nodded to Polevolt. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, guv…"

Turning around at the unknown voice with a heavy English accent, Astaroth and Polevolt laid eyes on a handsome, medium-built Caucasian man with blonde hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved light blue knit shirt and navy-colored fingerless gloves, the red union jack on the back of each hand and a gold stud on each knuckle. His sapphire leather pants shone in the light as he pushed his nose-pinch glasses slightly. "That shield there happens to come from the Museum of London…and it certainly wouldn't be proper n' all if I let you take it, eh?"

"Pah," Polevolt lowered his Escrima sticks and put his wrists to his hips. "Who do you think you are, you ninny? Take a hike!"

"'A ninny?'" the blonde man wagged his finger and clicked his tongue. "You ought to be taught some manners, mate. But as for my name: I am the UK Stingray and World Middleweight Boxing Champion Steve Fox!" The man performed a quick flurry of punches before assuming a fighting stance.

Astaroth readied his axe as he noticed something quite familiar on Steve's left wrist: a silver device with two blue windows in the form of the kanji "Tekken."

"So you're the last one!" The golem began pounding his axe on the marble floor and called forth his Lizard-men. "This time there will be no escape!"

As three red-skinned reptilians popped out from under the floor and bared their fangs at him, Steve whistled in amusement and awe. "Crikey…those are some big crocs," Steve slapped his forehead sarcastically as he gave his best Steve Irwin impression.

Underneath the humorous remarks, however, Steve began to sweat. He had never seen creatures like the Lizard-men, and was a little bit concerned with lack of knowledge of what the creatures were capable of.

"GET HIM!"

Astaroth and Polevolt shouted their order simultaneously as the trio of Lizard-men hissed and charged at Steve while the English boxer resumed his fighting stance. Dodging to the right as one Lizard-man attempted to bite him, Steve punished the reptile with a couple of powerful left-handed haymakers. The next Lizard-man took a swipe at the Englishman with its sharp claws, but Steve evaded that attack as well by bending over backwards, then countering with a punch to the top of its head as he straightened himself out.

The third one that came at the British boxer, however, was a tad more skilled than its brethren. Rather than coming at Steve blindly, it chose to begin the fight on the defensive. Steve let loose a series of straight punches that seemed like blurs to the naked eye, but not one of them hit its mark as the Lizard-man moved it head like a cobra and evading each strike. Once Steve let his guard down to catch his breath, Lizard-man spun around with lightning speed and sent the boxer sprawling with a tail whip.

As Steve's body flew in the air, however, his wrist device began to glow a blue light, and instantly enveloped his entire body. Flipping onto his feet, Steve felt the warm energy course through his body. _Well...it looks like it's morphin' time!_

The blue light slowly dissipated as Steve admired his transformed state: a stylish fusion of blue, gold, and platinum. His torso was now adorned with platinum body armor with two shoulder pads of the same color attached to it. On the body armor a sapphire jewel that pulsated with power. The rest of the body was covered with a blue body-suit, with the wrists and boots being the same platinum color as the torso. His blue gloves were studded with golden spikes, and around the waist was a golden belt, bond together with a platinum buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." Steve's face, and his entire head, was now covered with a round blue helmet, with only black visor with gold trim in front of the eyes allowing for sight. At the side of the visor on both sides was the number "3" written in gold.

"Faster than lightning, stronger than steel..." Steve tapped his helmet once and gave a thumbs-up to the Lizard-man that was tilting its head in curiosity, "…and a helmet to keep me face pretty in case something happens. I still haven't thought of a good name for meself…"

Rubbing the lower part of his helmet in deep contemplation, Steve let down his guard and the Lizard-man ran at him to resume its assault. However, Steve rocked back and forth and avoided forward stabs from the Lizard-man's claws, all while still rubbing his chin.

"Ah! I have it now," Steve punched the Lizard-man with a right cross that was so powerful that it forces the creature to spread its arms out. Following with a powerful left uppercut, Steve completed his sentence. "You may call me…ShinkenBlue!" The Lizard-man fell down on its back as it faded into unconsciousness with the uppercut knocking it out. "Pleasant dreams, worthy adversary," Steve gave a two-fingered salute to the fallen creature as he ran back to where Polevolt was standing.

"Hey, wait just a moment there," Steve raised an eyebrow behind his helmet as he noticed that Astaroth was missing. Pointing to Polevolt, who now had the shield propping his foot up, Steve brought up his question: "Hey guv, where did our mutual friend go?"

Steve's question was quickly answered as he felt monstrous arms hug him from behind, one of them holding a giant battle ax. Lifted off the ground, Steve flailed his legs wildly as he was brought into a crushing embrace. "I'll strangle the life out of you," Astaroth roared as he tightened his death-grip on Steve.

"Oh yeah?" Steve shouted between struggled breaths, "It just so happens-ugh-I like to start each day with a good hug!" _Ugh…who am I kidding? Everything's…going black…_

However, just as Steve was about to lose consciousness, Astaroth roared in pain and dropped the British fighter. Gasping for air, Steve quickly unclipped his helmet and took a deep breath while Astaroth turned around.

"What?" Astaroth raised his axe and narrowly blocked a kick to his face. "How did you get in here?"

Now standing in front of Astaroth was Hwoarang, fully dressed in his ShinkenBlack armor. Rather than answering with words however, he flipped awe from Astaroth's low ax swipe and spread his arms out, allowing Xiaoyu and Asuka to propel themselves off his shoulders and drop-kick Astaroth in the face.

"Ugh...quite a close call there," Steve took another lungful of air and picked up his helmet. Turning to a red-clad fighter, Steve clipped back on his helmet and gave a thumb-up. "I don't know who are mate, but thanks for the assist."

"Don't mention it," Jin shook Steve's hand once the blue-clad boxer recognized Jin's voice. "Now let's put that axe-wielding psycho in his place!"

Astaroth shook off the blows he received and resumed his fighting stance as Steve and Jin rejoined the Shinkenger group. "I will send you all to hell," Astaroth spun his axe around wildly as he prepared to rend their souls. "Not a hair of you will be getting out alive!"

_I beg to differ, _Astaroth's headset radio buzzed lightly in his ear as he confronted the group. _Let Polevolt deal with them and return to base. _

Astaroth let out a roar of anger and sent Hwoarang, Xiaoyu, and Asuka sprawling as he ran for the door. _Damn, Kazuya says I need to go now, _Astaroth grumbled to himself after listening to his headset raido, _what does that fool have up his sleeve now…?_

"Damn! He's getting away," Hwoarang quickly got back onto his feet and ran after Astaroth. However, he didn't get farther than ten steps when he felt a sharp pain in his back. Turning around to face the source of the attack, he saw Polevolt with his Escrima sticks crackling with energy. "Hey, magnet-man, did you do that?"

"Damn right I did, you cur," the magnet-head pointed his Escrima sticks at the quintet as he kicked the shield under his feet aside. "My name is Polevolt the Escrima magnet and if you want to save this Elk Shield, you'll have to get through me first!"

"I've got no problems with that, weirdo," Xiaoyu and the others jumped out of the way as Polevolt dove towards them sticks-first and landed on his face. "You hit Hwoarang, and I'm going to make sure to pay for that!"

Scrambling back onto his feet, Polevolt caught Hwoarang's axe kick with his forearm, and retaliated by sending the Korean youth into the air with a vertical swat of left Escrima stick, then juggled him in the air with repeated stabs of both sticks and sending him sprawling with another swat.

Next up were Steve and Jin, who came at Polevolt simultaneously with two powerful punches. Blocking both punches with his Escrima sticks in an "x" position, the fiend kicked both of them away with a roundhouse kick, then ran up to Jin before he could hit the ground, hitting him in his kneecaps with both Escrima sticks. "You seem to be the leader of the bunch, my crimson friend," Polevolt put his foot on Jin's chest and prepared to deliver a killing blow. "Let's see how gung ho you are after I smash your skull!"

However, Jin was saved by a timely intervention in the form of Xiaoyu's Shooting Star technique, which kicked Polevolt five times before being sent flying off Jin as Xiaoyu gracefully landed from the flying kick flurry. "Don't worry, Jin," Xiaoyu put out her hand and helped Jin back up as Polevolt turned to face his next opponent. "I'll make sure that you stay safe!"

"Thanks, Xiao," Jin dusted himself off and resumed his fighting stance. "Be sure to help the others too, though."

Polevolt narrowly dodged a kick from Asuka and punished her with a blow to her ribs. As Asuka gripped where she had been struck, Polevolt took advantage of her weakness and sent her sprawling backwards by hitting her with both Escrima sticks as if he were a golfer hitting a tee. Asuka crashed into a display case, shattering it as she stuggled to get back up.

"Now that is no way to treat a lady," Steve ran over to Asuka and helped her up before resuming his fight with Polevolt. "You ought to be taught some chivalry!"

Quickly ducking under Polevolt's horizontal swat, Steve began pummeling the fiend with a flurry of punches. The punches rained down upon Polevolt's abdomen, causing him to drop his Escrima sticks. However, the punches did not cease, as Steve's Gatling gun technique seemed to paralyze Polevolt in place. Finally, when it seemed that the punches would never end, Steve sent the creature flying into the air with an uppercut.

"Thanks for the assist, Steve," Hwoarang gave a two-fingered salute as he caught Polevolt with his foot and began to juggle him the air as a soccer player would a ball. Jumping up in the air and sending his flying with a tornado kick, Hwoarang issued his warning: "Xiaoyu, heads up!"

Already prepared for the monster, Xiaoyu shot out both her palms simultaneously and sent the creature flying towards Asuka, who then sent it towards Jin with a jumping roundhouse kick.

"Time to end this," Jin crackled with his red ki and charged up his ultimate attack. With Polevolt coming at him headfirst, Jin let loose his most powerful technique: the Eighth Gate of Hell. Shattering the creature's two head spikes, Jin sent the creature screeching to the floor, bleeding sparks just like its predecessor Mong Kong. After trying to get back up, Polevolt let loose a death cry and exploded in a fiery plume that shook the foundations of the museum, leaving only a big black spot on the marble floor.

"Another one bites the dust," Asuka dusted off her hands as she ran over to Jin. "Just goes to show that you don't mess with the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger!"

"Is that what our name to going be?" Hwoarang rolled his eyes beneath his helmet. "As long as our roll call is more badass than our name, I'll deal with it…especially since next time we're going to finish off that freak once and for all!"

After dusting himself off, Steve walked over to the shield that Polevolt kicked aside and dusted it off as well. Putting it back on its stand within the now-shattered display case, he walked over to Jin and shook his hand. "I don't suppose I could bother you and ask if I could join your group, eh guv?"

"The more, the merrier: welcome to the team." Jin nodded to Steve as he let go of his hand. Xiaoyu clapped in approval as Jin and Steve walked up to where she, Hwoarang and Asuka were waiting for them. "OK guys…there's a big crowd out there, so let's be sure to keep our helmets on so that whoever it is Astaroth is working for doesn't figure out who we are."

"Ha! I can deal with paparazzi," Hwoarang scoffed as the quintet walked out of the building to face the people gathered outside. "It's fangirls I have problems with…"

--------

"Astaroth…"

Kazuya walked over to the golem that was sitting on the couch sulking. "Do not consider this a loss."

"HOW CAN I NOT?" Astaroth got up and smashed the coffee table in front of him. "I COULD HAVE DESTROYED THEM! WHY DID YOU HAVE ME BAIL?"

"Because," Kazuya smiled evilly as he handed Astaroth five photographs, "while you were fighting, I overheard their voices. Tell me…are _these_ the Shinkenger you saw?"

Astaroth looked at the photographs and nodded each time he saw one. Kazuya took them from him and continued smiling. "Those are five of the greatest martial artists in the world. That's why I had you pull out: now that we know who they are, we can reconsider our plans..."

Walking away from Astaroth as the golem reached for the remote and turned on the television, Kazuya's smile faded and turned into an angry grimace. _OK, Jin…you want to play hardball? I'll give you hardball! By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be begging me for mercy!_


	5. Episode 4: Way of the Soldier

_  
_**Wait-for-sleep:** Actually it's not going to be either Hwo/Asuka or Steve/Asuka. Read my previous fic for more details!

OK, this is going to be the last chapter in quite some time, as I'm going to be busy making the transition back to college. I do hope it's good.

And just FYI, the conflict going on in Tekken's Israel is in no way connected to what's going on now._  
_

_-------- _

_Mishimas were never known for top-notch parental abilities and I am no exception. I have yet to do anything with my son Jin that would be considered "fatherly" in any way, shape or form. In all honesty, if Jin were to die a horrible death, I would not shed many tears, if any. Of course, his hatred of me is quite understandable: I was never there for him growing up, and I am the reason he is cursed with the Devil Gene that eats away at him so._

_However, he himself has never really attempted to get on my good side, either. The previous King of Iron Fist Tournament is ample proof of that. When he was looking for the whereabouts of Jun, for example, I offered him my hand in assistance, and all I received was a fist to my cheek. Was I not his father? Was I not the one who gave part of my vaunted power so that his mother whose bosom he clings to so desperately could live again? _

_I have tried to turn a deaf ear to his threats for some time, selling myself to the notion that we had a common goal and would be much better off working together than butting heads. Even I have a limit to my patience, however. So when Astaroth confirmed that Jin was part of this Shinkenger group, I quickly made plans, and a new creature, to punish him._

_At the same time, I also prepared to implement the next stage of my primary scheme… _

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The Mishima Peace Conference is sponsored by the Mishima Zaibatsu and sanctioned by the UN. In order to gain the trust of the leaders of the world after his son's chilling reign over the Zaibatsu, Heihachi Mishima created the "Tekkenshu" to curb world hunger and to solve global conflicts. Once he had gotten a good foothold into world affairs with his Peace Crusade, he founded the Mishima Peace Conference to be held annually, similar to what the United Nations implemented. Since Heihachi Mishima was not available to attend, however, Jin Kazama would be the lead speaker at the conference, which was to be held at the Tokyo Dome.

There was one person in particular Jin was looking forward to seeing again: Doren Sharon of the Israeli Defense Force. With his country once again in the process of falling into war, the first lieutenant decided to oversee the conference himself to guarantee that negotiations went smoothly. Doren's fighting prowess with his unique fighting style of Krav Maga made him a semi-finalist in the previous King of Iron Fist tournament, but his true claim to fame was his negotiation abilities.

_It's too bad I can't ask for Lt. Sharon's help against Astaroth,_ Jin thought as he waited for the Israeli's flight to arrive as he sat near the gate, _but there is no way I can ask him to fight that thing! He's just a normal man, while Astaroth is a monster…_

Suddenly, Jin noticed someone coming to sit next to him. The man was fairly tall, dressed in a brown trenchcoat and wearing beige pants with black leather boots. His messy black hair and pale skin made him stand out, but what really got Jin's attention were the man's pale blue eyes and his scar just above the left side of his lip.

_Sergei Dragunov! What is HE doing here?_

Jin had run-ins with the Spetsnaz officer in the past, and none of those run-ins were pleasant experiences. When the two first met, Dragunov subdued Jin and dragged him to Russia, where he was subjected to inhumane experiments. Even though Jin returned to Japan in one piece, he would never forget the pain he had to endure while in captivity. "Hello, Dragunov," Jin said coldly as he glared at the Russian man. "Probed anyone lately?"

Dragunov's head slowly turned to meet Jin's gaze, and then turned away once again. "…that was uncalled for, Mr. Kazama…"

"…so you can talk," Jin raised an eyebrow as he heard the Sambo expert speak: something that he had never heard him do. "How about you tell me what you're doing here?"

"…I am not here to fight you," Dragunov spoke very quietly in a thick Russian accent while his gaze did not leave the door to the docking gate. "That is all you need to be aware of…"

_Now arriving, Gate 21, non-stop from Tel Aviv. Welcome to Tokyo._

It did not take long for Jin to find Doren as the door to the gate opened and a flock of people came rushing out of it. Doren was a good six-and-a-half feet tall, with a powerful physique to boot. He was wearing purple-and-blue camouflage pants and brown army boots, as well as a gray t-shirt with the letters "IDF" splashed across the chest in blue. His handsome face, wire-rim glasses, long black hair tied back in a ponytail and a thick singular bang hanging across the right side of his face made him instantly recognizable to Jin.

Doren spotted Jin and waved hello as he walked over to where Jin and Dragunov were sitting. "Hello there! It's good to see you two again!"

"…you mean you know this guy, Doren?" Jin raised an eyebrow as Doren spoke to Dragunov with such familiarity. Even though Jin was aware that Doren beat Dragunov in the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, he didn't expect him to be formally acquainted with such filth.

"Are you kidding me? I still owe the captain a rematch," Doren smiled as he put down the backpack he was carrying and looked out into the crowd of people that were exiting Gate 21. "By the way, can you help me spot my wife? She has white hair and she's wearing-"

"DOREN!"

Jin, Doren, and Dragunov all jumped up in surprise as a loud, female voice rang in their ears. Running towards them was a stunningly beautiful young woman with snow white hair, wearing a white t-shirt, black jean-shorts, and a dark red leather jacket with the sickle and hammer of the Russian flag etched on the back. What caught Jin's attention most, however, was not her intense beauty, or even the gourd that she was carrying in her hand.

It was the fact that her eyes were a very pale blue, just like Dragunov's.

"Doren, why didn't you stay behind and wait for me?" Natasha continued to shout as Doren backed away slightly and put his hands up.

"Hey, easy, 'tasha," Doren rubbed the back of his head lightly. "Everyone was getting out of the isle really quickly! I didn't have time to wait up! Besides, we all get out of the same gate!"

"Natasha," Dragunov walked toward the woman as she put down the gourd and backpack she was carrying. "It has been a very long time…"

"…BROTHER!" Natasha quickly forgot about her husband and wrapped her arms around Dragunov. "It really has been a long time! You've become quite the national hero back in mother Russia, from what our aunts and uncles tell me!"

_Unbelievable,_ Jin looked on in astonishment at he watched the two siblings break their embrace. _That Russian scumbag has a family? _Jin approached Natasha and shook her hand, temporarily ignoring the fact that she was the little sister of a hated enemy. "Hello, Mrs. Sharon. My name is Jin Kazama, and I fought your husband in the last tournament."

"I've read all about you in the papers," Natasha returned the handshake as she gripped Jin's hand firmly. "Perhaps later, we can show each other some special moves…"

"Special moves?" Jin raised an eyebrow as he let go of Natasha's hand. "But…I thought you were married…"

"BWAHAHAHA," Natasha erupted in a hearty laugh as she picked up her backpack and gourd once again and began heading for the luggage claim. "Doren told me you were strong, but he never told me you were funny, as well!"

"…I find your humor in ill taste, Kazama," Dragunov hissed at Jin as they, along with Doren, walked after Natasha to the baggage claim.

"Hey, captain, lighten up," Doren walked between Jin and Dragunov when he noticed the violent intent burning in their eyes. "It was just a little joke! I mean, I'm her husband, and I didn't find it offensive!"

"He's exactly right, Sergei," Natasha handed her elder brother a small metal bottle that she pulled out of her backpack. "This is supposed to be a time of family and friends, so drink up and be merry! I even brought my own home-brewed vodka that you enjoy so much!"

--------

After five minutes of navigating across the labyrinth that was the Tokyo Airport, the unlikely quartet finally found their way to the luggage claim. Although Jin still did not enjoy being around Sergei Dragunov, he was still fascinated at how differently he was acting as opposed to when they first met. Dragunov had always struck the Japanese youth as a man who did not speak because he was always plotting something dark to please his superiors. When he first saw Dragunov at the airport, Jin had expected the Russian to attack him.

But to his surprise, Sergei had yet to do anything of the nature. He not only spoke, but engaged in proper conversation with both his sister and Doren. _I still don't trust him though,_ Jin thought to himself as he sat down next to Doren while Dragunov and Natasha went to the other side of the luggage claim to find their belongings. _I'm willing to bet he's just waiting until his family isn't watching him to do something evil…_

"You don't trust him," Doren said out of the blue as he continued playing his Sony PSP, almost as if he knew exactly what Jin was thinking. "I suppose being nicknamed 'the White God of Death' does have an effect on one's social popularity…"

"Actions speak louder than words, Lt. Sharon," Jin turned to meet the Israeli's gaze. "You probably don't know what that monster you call a brother-in-law is capable of."

"On the contrary, I know exactly what Sergei is capable of, and what kind of sins he's committed in the past," Doren turned off his PSP and put it in his pocket. "However, people change over time, Jin. Initial impressions aren't always set in stone, so be sure to keep that in mind. Besides," Doren's voice became quieter as he finished bitterly, "compared to my past, Sergei's is probably a fairy tale…"

"…again, actions speak louder than words," Jin turned away and looked out to where Natasha and Dragunov were picking out luggage from the winding track at the baggage claim. "However, I do trust you, so I'll give him another chance…"

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire fell upon their ears as everyone in the luggage claim stopped whatever it was they were doing, confused as to where the shots were coming from. Quickly jumping into action, Jin and Doren rushed out the entrance of the airport to take a look outside, with Natasha and Dragunov quickly following them.

What they saw was utter chaos…

The parking lot was littered with the bodies of policemen and lizard-men as the Tokyo Metro police fired upon a large horde of the creatures, who were trying to approach the airport. Some of them fell to the hail of bullets, while others pressed onward to savagely rip apart the officers before he or she had the chance to use their weapons.

_Oh no, _Jin looked on in horror as he watched the lizard-men continue to literally tear through the perimeter that the police had set up. _Why did they have to show up on the day that the world leaders are arriving in Tokyo? _Jin was about to transform when he noticed that a news van arrive not too far away from where the action was happening. _Blast! I can't morph here if there are cameras on me! This might just be a ploy by the enemy to find out who I really am…_

As Jin continued to think about what his next move would be, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air as the luggage claim was infected by the same chaos that was going on outside. Popping out of the floor was another lizard-man, but Jin noticed that this one was different from the others. Rather than a red hue that its breathen sported, the skin on this reptile was dull silver, with pink stripes splashed across it. Once it had fully exacavated itself, the lone Lizard-man began picking up luggage from the track and tossing it as if it were in a school cafeteria having a foodfight.

"Doren, can I trust you to handle things in here?" Jin continued to shout, even though Doren was next to him. He was caught between a metaphorical rock and a hard place, and he needed to get somewhere where he could morph with no one watching. More importantly, if Dragunov was occupied elsewhere, Jin wouldn't have to worry about the Russian deciding to stab him in the back.

"Don't worry about us, pretty boy," Natasha answered her husband's question as she popped open her gourd and took a swig of its contents. "Just do what you have to, and we shall handle things inside!"

As Doren, Natasha, and Dragunov rushed back inside to engage the creature attacking the luggage claim, Jin quickly looked for a place where he could be alone. Spotting an alleyway, Jin waded through the crowd of people that were fleeing the luggage claim and ducked into the alleyway, quickly charging his ki and transforming.

Whenever Jin morphed into his Shinkenger alter-ego, he always felt slightly-lighted for the first couple of seconds. The rush of having such energies course through his veins in such an instant certainly took time to adjust to. Once he shook off the disorientation, Jin left the alley and again waded through the frightened mob to enter the parking lot and confront the lizard-men…

---------

"Come on, everyone get out! You can get your belongings after all this has blown over!"

Natasha quickly herded the remaining people away from the wild Lizard-man as Doren and Dragunov did their best to hold off the cold-blooded reptile. Even though Natasha's thick Russian accent made it difficult for people to understand her, they quickly caught the gist of what she was getting at and exited the room.

However, the lizard-man managed to shake free from Doren's grip and attempted to attack Natasha while she was occupied. The Russian woman turned around just in time to see the creature leap into the air in preparation for a lethal pounce. However, Dragunov reached out and caught its tail in mid-air, and it fell on its head with a thud. Mounting the creature, Dragunov grabbed it by its neck and began punching it in the chest.

The technique would have been effective if he had been dealing with a human, but a reptile was a different manner. Taking advantage of its long mouth, the lizard-man got hold of the arm that was holding its neck and bit down hard. Dragunov grunted as he let go of the creature and got back up, gripping his arm in agony.

"Brother, are you all right?" Natasha quickly kicked the lizard-man away from her brother and ran to his side. It was a deep bite: Dragunov was bleeding through his trenchcoat. Her pale blue eyes sparkling with rage, Natasha pointed an accusing finger at the creature. "You mongrel! You're going to pay for that! Doren, don't interfere unless I say so!"

Knocking Doren away with a tail whip, the lizard-man turned to face its next adversary. With her gourd wrapped around her shoulder, Natasha grabbed the creature's arm as it tried to scratch her, then countered with an open-palmed strike to its neck. The creature coughed in her face as it backed away slightly, surprised by such a counter. That pause was enough time for Natasha to send it sprawling away with a flying punch.

The Lizardman landed on its feet and hissed at the woman. Charging at her with fury, it lashed out with its sharp fangs. Natasha, anticipating the move, ducked under its snout and shot out both of her hands, and struck the creature it its soft underbelly with a pair of finger-first lunges. Once she had done that, she put her hands on the ground and shot out both of her feet to send the creature backwards once again with a low kick.

However, this time the creature recovered faster that Natasha had expected. Taking advantage of the time Natasha took to get back up, the Lizard-man sent her flying with a head-butt.

"Grr…tougher than you look," Natasha rubbed where she had landed and stood back up, undoing the lace that wrapped her gourd to her shoulder. "I did not think I would have to use this here!"

"Hey, Natasha, just remember that Sergei and I are here," Doren called out to his wife as he finished wrapping Dragunov's wound with a piece of his trenchcoat.

"Ha! There's no way I am going to let you boys have all the fun!"

With that, Natasha popped open the top of her gourd and began to drink its contents. Making loud gulping noises, she continued guzzling whatever was in the gourd, with the bottle now hanging upside down above her head. Finally putting the bottle down and capping it back up, Natasha wiped her mouth off and groggily assumed a fighting stance. "OK, comrade-hic-…let's see what you're all about!"

The creature tilted its head in curiosity as it watched Natasha seem to struggle to maintain balance. Her cheeks were red and her head bobbled back and forth. Dragunov prepared to step in, both Doren held him back. "She's a martial artist like us, captain. We need to respect her wishes."

"What is it that she drank, lieutenant?" Dragunov watched in awe as Natasha stumbled past a forward hand thrust and groggily jump over a low tail whip. The Spetsnaz officer could tell that she was using a form of Drunken Boxing, but he was concerned about just what was fueling her technique.

"To be perfectly honest, she never tells me what she puts in that gourd," Doren looked on as his wife bopped the creature on top of its head with a wild punch. "It can be anything from sake to paint thinner…"

"What sort of a husband are you, letting her consume that?"

The blows continued to rain down on the lizard-man's head as Natasha continued to swing her arms wildly. With a lunging drop kick, she kicked the creature in the face and sent it toppling to the ground. The creature, slightly dazed from the near-endless barrage, shook off its confusion and once again prepared to attack…until Natasha pulled out a lighter.

"And for my-hic-next trick…the reason you should not drink and smoke at the same time!" Putting the lighter in front of her mouth and flicking it until a small flame came from it, she blew on it with alcohol-filled breath and created a flame jet that burst into the lizard-man's eyes. Blinded by the fire, the Lizard-man thrashed wildly and stumbled…right into Doren and Dragunov's hands…

With both soldiers grabbing its arms, the lizard-man was escorted to the door and tossed as far as Doren and Dragunov could muster. Landing in the street, it was promptly run over by a speeding taxi.

Hearing a slow applause, Doren and Dragunov turned around and saw two figures dressed up in strange costumes. One of them was dressed in blue, and the other was dressed in yellow. Both of their faces were covered with helmets of the same color. "Whoo…I must really be drunk…" Natasha began to feel light-headed as she looked at the two colorful fighters. "Tell me…are you two Sentai people on our side?"

"You have nothing to worry about, madam," ShinkenBlue gave a quick thumbs-up as Doren ran over to catch Natasha as she passed out while standing up. "Hey, thanks for helping us clean up!" Looking over to Dragunov's bandaged arm, Steve walked over to the Russian and asked if he was all right. The Spetsnaz officer nodded once in acknowledgement, then walked over to a nearby chair and sat down. "Well, if everyone's all right, then we'll just be on our way!" ShinkenBlue and ShinkenYellow ran out the entrance of the luggage claim and waved goodbye. "Thanks again, you three!"

--------

"There! That's the last of them," Jin, who had been fighting for nearly fifteen minutes straight as ShinkenRed, sent the final lizard-man into unconsciousness with a forward kick as the police force behind him cheered in triumph. Walking over to the officer that seemed to be their leader, Jin shook the man's hand.

"EXCELLENT WORK, CIVILIAN! YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED BY EVERY HONEST POLICEMAN HERE," the commander shouted at Jin and vigorously shook his hand. Turning to another police member, a European woman, the commander continued to yell. "SERGEANT MOMMY, GET THE CHAMPAGNE FROM OUR PATROL CAR!"

"Umm…that's 'Mimmy,' Inspector Tatsumi…"

"WHATEVER! GET THE CHAMPAGNE!"

"I wouldn't be celebratin' so fast I were you…"

Quickly darting around, Jin and the police followed the unknown voice to a new creature that was even more peculiar than the lizard-men. The creature was dressed in olive green military garb with black army boots. Its hands were brown with claws shaped like spirals, and its face was furry with a long drill-shaped snout. Covering the top of its rodent-like head was a lime green beret with a skull-shaped patch on it. "I'm afraid that this where your life comes to an end, civvy!"

_Not another one, _Jin shook his head and assumed his fighting stance yet again. He didn't think he'd be able to handle this new monster after fighting for so long without any sort of rest, but he wasn't about to let the policemen get themselves killed trying to take it on. The creature snorted as it assumed its own fighting stance: it was just like Dragunov's Command Sambo stance. _Command Sambo…just what I don't need…_

Before the creature could begin however, a loud revving sound cut through the air. Everyone turning their heads eastward, they saw a motorcycle speeding towards them at enormous speed. With the police officers and Jin quickly jumping out of the way, the motorcycle sped past them and continued to head for the monster. Then, suddenly swerving, the back of the motorcycle hit the creature and sent it flying. Once Jin had gotten a look at the riders, he let out a sigh of relief. It was Hwoarang and Asuka, already in their Shinkenger suits.

Quickly dismounting the motorcycle they rode on, the two fighters approached Jin. "Hey, where the hell is Astaroth? You better not have killed him without me," Hwoarang's voice was full of disappointment. He had been hoping to engage in fearsome and final battle with the one who killed his gang, not tangle with some sort of strange rodent who dressed like his old drill sergeant back when he was in the Korean army.

"Astaroth didn't show up this time around: sorry about that." Jin rubbed the back of his helmet as Hwoarang continued to complain to him. "By the way, where are Xiaoyu and Steve?"

As if to answer Jin's question, Xiaoyu and Steve came running out of the entrance to the airport and entered the parking lot, approaching their Shinkenger brethren. "Hey Jin, you're not going to believe this," Xiaoyu said excitedly, "but Dragunov helped save everyone in the airport! He even got a bite on the arm to show for it!"

"_Dragunov_ did that?" Jin replied with disbelief. "Huh…I guess there really is hope for people…" Turning to face the mole-like creature that had already gotten back up and recovered from the motorcycle attack, the five Shinkengers stood in line. "OK guys…let's do it, just like we practiced."

"Yeah whatever," Hwoarang waved his hand in reluctant acknowledgement. "We gotta make it look good of the press…"

"ONE," Sticking his left index finger high into the air, Hwoarang fired off a roundhouse kick into the air before entering his Flamingo Stance. "Striking down foes with fatal footwork…Tae Kwan Do-estilo: ShinkenBlack!"

"TWO," Her left index and middle fingers pointing skyward, Asuka went into her defensive stance. "Overcoming foes with daunting defense...Aikido-estilo: ShinkenWhite!"

"THREE," Steve stuck up three fingers in the air and then brought then down to get into his trademark Flicker stance. "Beating down foes with peerless punches…Boxing-estilo: ShinkenBlue!"

"FOUR," With all her fingers on her left hand up in the air save for her thumb, Xiaoyu brought the hand back down and went into her Phoenix Stance. "Overwhelming foes with blinding speed…Kung Fu-estilo! ShinkenYellow!"

"FIVE," His open palm shooting into the sky, Jin went into his Power Stance. "Smashing foes with the fists of fury…Karate-estilo! ShinkenRed!" Once the rest of the team got out of their stances, Jin pointed a finger at the creature. "Under the power of our divine fists, chaos shall never thrive!"

With the cheers and battle cries of every policeman, world leader, and civilian backing them, the team struck a dynamic pose as their ki crackled across their bodies and the jewels on their chest flashed violently while they shouted out their mighty name. "TEKKENSHU SENTAI…SHINKENGER!"

"Not bad, civvies," the creature gave a thumbs-up with its swirly claw before introducing itself. "I'm Drill Sergeant, the Sambo Mole! And while don't have some fancy pose, that don't mean I ain't got class!" Coming at the Shinkengers with his claws bared and his snout whirring mechanically, the creature let out a battle cry of his own. "I'll make pretzels outta yer limbs, and swiss cheese outta yer carcasses!"

Steve and Xiaoyu were the first to receive a taste of his claws and were sent sprawling away leaving sparks in their wake. Turning to see Hwoarang about to kick him in the face, Drill Sergeant caught the foot and gave it a twist before taking the Korean down into a leg lock. Screaming from the pain, Hwoarang tried to pull his leg out of the leg lock by lifting both his captured leg and Drill Sergeant off the ground, then bring them down to the ground hard. With Drill Sergeant now echoing his victim's scream, he let go of the leg and the two fighters scrambled back up.

Waiting for him to get back onto his feet was Jin, who attacked Drill Sergeant from behind with a straight punch. To Jin's surprise, Drill Sergeant caught the punch from behind and tossed him over his shoulder, sending Jin to the ground with a loud thump. _What in the-? He's a lot smarter than he looks!_

However, Jin's attack was not totally useless, as it gave Asuka the opening she needed to begin her own attack against Drill Sergeant. Kicking the creature in the face with her Spinning Heal Drop, Asuka sent Drill Sergeant spiraling to the ground. Not letting the creature have time to recover, Steve and Hwoarang ran after Drill Sergeant and sent it flying further away with a powerful haymaker and a forward kick.

Landing on its feet, Drill Sergeant straightened out his beret and rubbed its nose. "I think it's time I taught you privates some underground warfare!" Putting his face to the ground, the mole creature's snout whirred as it began punching through the tar and concrete that was the parking lot. Once he had made a sufficient hole, his claws whirred in unison as he began to dig with his hands, burrowing himself into the ground. By the time the Shinkengers realized what it was doing, the creature was out of sight.

"Damn…where did he go?" Jin and the others looked around cautiously. Although it was possible that it retreated after it realized that the Shinkengers were adapting to his Command Sambo far too quickly, Jin knew that the chances of that happening were next to nothing. He was waiting deep underground…waiting for them to let their guard down.

Suddenly, and hand popped out of the ground beneath them and grabbed Asuka's ankle. "Welcome to hell, little missy," the creature said within the hole that his hand was jutting out of. "I'll be your tour guide!" Asuka fell flat on her face as she lost her balance, then tried to grip the ground with her gloved hands as Drill Sergeant began pulling her down into the hole.

Making a dive to catch her hand, Jin grabbed onto Asuka tight and tried to pull her back in. Following Jin's example, the other Shinkengers grabbed onto one other to make a human chain, using all of their strength to save their comrade from being dragged into the ground. _The only problem with this is that Asuka might be pulled apart like a piece of taffy in the process, _Jin thought bitterly as he continued to pull. _I hope Asuka can hang on!_

With one last mighty tug, the Shinkengers broke Asuka free of Drill Sergeant's grasp as he popped out of the ground after her. "That was a dirty trick, you bastard," Asuka got back up and dusted herself off. "Are you afraid to take us on fair and square?"

"This is war, sweetheart," the mole pointed his finger arrogantly before burrowing underground again. "All's fair in that n' love!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Asuka grabbed Drill Sergeant's foot just as it was about to disappear into the ground, preventing him from burrowing deeper. "I'm not going to have some freak like you give me lectures about my love life!" Her heels screeching on the ground as she tried to maintain her ground, Asuka shouted out to the other Shinkengers for help. Coming to her aid, they once again linked together to yank Drill Sergeant from his digging frenzy. This time, Drill Sergeant flew out of the ground as the Shinkengers tossed him out of the hole.

"Now that's more like it," Asuka crackled her knuckles as she ran after Drill Sergeant. "Time to play some whack-a-mole!" Sending the creature careening backwards with a shoulder tackle, Asuka began to crackle with white energy as her her hands began to glow. "Hey guys, let's finish this up. Now that we figured out his strategy, he's finished anyway!"

"Well I don't know what I've been told," Drill Sergeant began singing off key as he outstretched his left arm. "But this is really getting old!" Materializing into his arm was a large metallic bazooka with words "the Business End" etched into it. "My Neutron Cannon will finish this up! Come on, you sissies, I'm ready for anything you can throw at-eh?"

Drill Sergeant's snout whirred in curiosity as he looked at the Shinkengers: their hands were all glowing with power as their jewels seemed to shine brighter than the sun. Not taking any chances, the mole monster got onto one knee and aimed his bazooka. "Whatever the heck you're doing, it ain't gonna work! Say goodnight!"

"Oh, go pop up under someone's lawnmower," Hwoarang shot out as the Shinkengers cupped their hands together as their bodies continued to glow. As they did so, energy most pure began to swirl around their palms as they reared back to fire off their own blast. "Go ahead and fire it off. See what happens!"

"Say yer prayers, civvies. NEUTRON CANNON, FIRE!"

"SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"

Letting loose all of the energy each of them had gathered, the Shinkengers fired off a massive yellow ball of power to counter the dark green beam fired off from the Neutron Cannon. The beam did absolutely nothing to stop it, however, as the ball pushed through the beam and continued to make its way towards Drill Sergeant.

"Oh damn," Drill Sergeant could feel his body began to break apart as the ball hit him and began to tear away at his very being. "Looks like I be gettin' my discharge!" Roaring in pain as sparks began to shoot out of his body, Drill Sergeant fell to the ground and was drowned out in a fiery explosion. When both the ball and the fire dissipated, nothing remained of the creature save for burning chunks.

"…wow, that wasn't nearly as retarded-sounding as I thought it would be," Hwoarang looked at the rubble and whistled in awe the cheers of everyone watching reached a fever pitch. It was becoming clear the Shinkenger team was quickly becoming a national phenomenon, and everyone present felt privileged to actually see them in action.

"Good job, guys," Jin gave a thumbs-up to his teammates as they ran over to celebrate with the policemen. "I think we're really coming together as a team!"

---------

After celebrating with the officers, the Shinkengers quickly made themselves scarce before the media could come after them. While all Hwoarang and the others had to do was get into whatever vehicle they came in, Jin decided to stay behind to see if Doren and the others were alright. He didn't want Doren to get suspicious of him, because Jin knew that Doren's altruism would lead him to fight against Astaroth, and Jin didn't want that gruesome fate to fall upon the soldier. So, after finding a quiet place to de-morph, Jin went back into the airport to see Dragunov, his arm still bandaged, drinking vodka alone.

"…My sister and the lieutenant have already gone to the hotel. You will not find them here." Dragunov took a sip of his alcohol before speaking, knowing exactly what Jin is going to ask him. Turning to the Japanese youth, Dragunov raised an eyebrow. "What is wrong, Kazama? I would expect you to be pleased to see me injured thus."

"…it appears I misjudged you, Dragunov," Jin slowly offered his hand to the Russian soldier. "I apologize for the way I acted earlier."

"Do not apologize," Dragunov continued drinking, denying the handshake. "We may very well be enemies the next time we meet, and I will not show you any sort of mercy if and when that happens…" Looking at his reflection in the metallic canteen, Dragunov continued, "…that is the way of the soldier, Kazama: we must obey orders for the good of our country, regardless of our personal opinion…"


	6. Episode 5: Spirit of a King

HELLO EVERYONE!

I'm sorry for the long delay: I didn't get a computer to really type at until last Sunday. Well, I'm back now, and I promise to keep this story going!

thunder: no, Doren has no relation to Mr. Ariel...funny how they're both involved in Israeli political affairs though, isn't it? And believe it or not, Natasha has inspiration from my piano teacher at college! Both of them are Russian(and very very pretty) and know how to make their own vodka!

-------

Even though the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament had only been concluded a mere two weeks ago, the masses' lust for battle brought them to other fighting tourneys. Sumo tournaments, boxing matches, and martial arts entertainment was still rampant in Tokyo following the famed King of Iron Fist. Perhaps one of the more popular outings was professional wrestling. Even though it occasionally gained criticism because it usually followed a script of sorts, the crowds continued to pile into the stadium to watch the muscle-bound behemoths grapple with each other.

One such competition was being held in Tokyo at the Saitama Super Arena. The arena, also known the symbol of the Saitama New Urban Center, is located on the outskirts of Tokyo. The arena frequently holds a variety of different events, including concerts, sporting matches, exhibitions, and trade fairs, among other things. Jin Kazama had chosen this arena as one of the locations for the first two rounds of the previous King of Iron Fist tournament, continuing to add to its fame.

Once the crowd had gathered, the vendors within the arena shouted out their menus as they passed by the rows and rows of fans that had purchased tickets to be allowed access into this particular wrestling event. After a few minutes of this, the lights began to dim as all eyes focused on the center stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this special event featuring some of the greatest grapplers in the world today! Our first match featuring the number one ranked wrestler in Europe, and a King of Iron Fist Tournament veteran!" The announcer standing in the ring shouted into his microphone as his voice echoed over the cheers and screams of fans. The spotlight turned to the far southeast end of the arena to reveal a door. The faint sound of bagpipes emitted from the door as the announcer began the first competitor's introduction.

"He's 6'10 and weighing in at 340 pounds of muscle, he is undefeated in his career in the grappling circuit. Coming from Scotland at 36 years old, please welcome the Pancratium Paladin of Pain: Angus 'the Annihilator' McGregor!"

A giant of a man with a long red beard and a bald head came walking down the runway sporting a dark red t-shirt and long plaid trousers with two beautiful Japanese women at his side playing two instruments that were quite different from each other: one playing bagpipes, and the other with an electric guitar. As the two continued to play a heavily remixed version of "Scotland the Brave," Angus approached the ring and jumped over the ropes, landing with a powerful thud within the stage. As he came down, he let out a primal roar as sparks shot out of flame jets just next to the turnbuckles.

"And his opponent this evening: he's the reigning WNW champion and has qualified in the last four King of Iron Fist Tournaments," the crowd began to get itself into a frenzy as jungle drums began to beat across the arena whilst the spotlight rushed over to the northwest runway to the ring. Inhuman snarls emitted from the door at the end of the runway while the announcer finalized the introduction. "Weighing in at 198 lbs at 6'7", behold the Anger of the Beast: coming from Mexico at 31 years young, heeeeeeeeeere's King!"

_Welcome to the jungle  
We got fun 'n' games  
We got everything you want  
Honey we know the names  
We are the people that can find  
Whatever you may need  
If you got the money honey  
We got your disease_

Another muscular powerhouse came running down to the ring wearing purple spandex with golden boots and gloves. On his waist were the words "King: Anger of Beast" and his white t-shirt sported in yellow "Welcome to the Jungle." Of course, what made him stand out the most was not his colorful attire, but his trademark golden jaguar mask that hid his face. King was a champion of champions: kids looked up to him, he gave money to orphans, and he stayed away from shady organizations. And just like the predecessor who wore the jaguar mask before him, King competed in the King of Iron Fist Tournaments regularly.

Jumping into the ring by slinging himself over the ropes, King struck a dynamic pose for the crowd, who acknowledged with deafening cheers. King didn't think that he would ever grow tired of the spotlight, because as long as the spotlight was on him, he would receive more money, and that meant more money to the orphanage.

"BAH! Your wrestling is all smoke n' mirrors," Angus snatched the microphone from the announcer within the ring and pointed arrogantly at the masked wrestler. "Today, ah'm going to show you what wrestling's all about!" Tossing the microphone back to the announcer, Angus flexed his muscles some more and received a mix of cheers and boos. The two grapplers got in their respective corners as the announcer stepped out the ring, waiting for the match to officially begin at the sound of a bell…

DING!

Jumping into action, King and Angus latched onto each other and grappled, much to the excitement of the crowd. Neither fighter budged as their bones creaked from the pressure being applied on their bodies, attempting to get the other in a position that they could exploit. After a little over seven seconds of the standoff, King lost his footing and Angus lifted the luchadore off the ground and held him over his head. King struggled to get loose, but Angus kept his grip and brought him down by throwing him downwards while getting into a sitting position in perhaps the perfect union between a power bomb and a pile driver.

"GA-HAHA," the crimson-clad oaf let out a boorish laugh as he fell on King stomach first with a body splash. "Come on, laddie! I didn't come all this way so I could face a punching bag!" The ringside judge quickly got on his belly and began the three count. It looked as if the match would end far sooner than anyone paid money for.

Breaking free from Angus' pin at "2," King rolled away and regained his footing. As he bounced on the soles of his feet, King's ki began to flow across his body and began to circle the Scottish wrestler in front of him with small jumps and skips. Angus let out an angry shout and ran towards the luchadore with his arms opened wide. The Scotsman was evaded easily as King stepped to the side and Angus ran right into the ropes. Bouncing off the ropes, Angus ricocheted back at the luchadore and was rewarded for his brash assault with a drop kick to the back of his head.

Angus toppled over and fell to the mat as he gripped the back of his head in agony. With a gesture to the crowd, King ran over to a turnbuckle and climbed up to the top, pointing skywards as he prepared to begin his aerial assault. Leaping high into the air, King plummeted downwards to the Angus with his world-famous High Elbow Drop. However, Angus rolled out of the way, thus causing King to miss his mark and land on the mat with a thud followed by a snarl of pain.

Looking up to see Angus jump into the air to land on him buttocks-first, King scrambled back up and caught the Scotsman as a boy would catch a ball in a schoolyard. Holding Angus over his head in the same fashion that he had held him seconds before, King threw Angus to the mat hard with a devastating power bomb. Crouching over his fallen opponent, King got Angus in a headlock as the judge once again began the three-count. Somewhere between "1" and "2," Angus rolled over and performed a sit-up to yank himself free, with King now underneath him. Avoiding a pin, King used all of his strength to push the behemoth off of him.

With another boisterous belly laugh, Angus watched King get back up and slapped the luchadore in the face with an open-palmed slap, and followed up with a second slap that sent the Mexican reeling back. Quick to recover, King ducked under a forward kick and sent his foe airborne with an uppercut, then grabbed Angus in midair and tossing him to the ground with his Running Jaguar Bomb.

Angus stood back up and pushed the charging King into the ropes and mashed his face with a clothesline that sent King right back into the ropes. Attempting to avoid getting hit again, King grabbed onto the ropes as he came to them and used the momentum to swing over them and come back at Angus with a drop-kick, his Tiger Feint maneuver, which sent Angus flying to the other side of the ring. The crowd once again erupted in cheers as Angus kept his footing and shook his head from dizziness while King once again posed for the crowd. However, Angus recovered faster than expected, and sent King to an opposite turnbuckle as the luchadore came charging towards him with a chest thrust.

The two grapplers stood in their respective corners to catch their breath. King's matches in the King of Iron Fist Tournament had helped prepare him for facing a foe as big as Angus, and Angus's long career in Europe had toned his endurance to withstand King's powerful technique. The sweat and blood on their bodies oozed from their pores and wounds the crowd continued to cheer despite the temporary break in fighting.

Unfortunately, the fight would not be finished in a proper manner.

The ring began to shake violently, causing the two grapplers and the ringside judge to look around puzzled as they struggled to keep their footing. After a little over three seconds of violent shaking, the center of the ring burst open as something popped out of it like a mole emerging from the ground. When the dust settled, the crowd murmured to each other in confusion: there was a new fighter in the ring.

The figure had a similar size and build to King, but his appearance was far different. He was covered in crimson armor all across his body, with a demonic skull emblem splashed across his chest and his back. His shoulderpads and kneepads also had a bony shape, except they were white and had the form of a human skull. His face was covered with a metallic version of an ancient Aztec mask, and his eyes glowed a dull yellow. Emitting steam from the jetpack on his back, the mystery challenger dashed over to Angus and lifted him over his. Before the Scotsman knew what was going on, the mystery man's jetpack roared as they were propelled into the air, where he spun Angus around by the legs and flung him out of the ring where the Scotsman crashed through the windows of the luxury booths and landed on a couch within.

Landing back in the ring, the interloper pointed at King, then rang his thumb across his neck: it wanted to challenge the tired luchadore. King, not being one to say no to someone who interrupted his fight and thus prevented him from getting money for the orphanage, let loose a snarl and ran towards the interloper, preparing to bash him with his most powerful striking technique: the Jaguar Lariat. However, the interloper narrowly sidestepped the attack and grabbed the luchadore by the neck and once again took to the air with that awful jetpack. Once the two had reached the ceiling of the arena, the interloper altered his grip on King so that he was clinging to his back, and the pair went spiraling downwards headfirst into the mat with a sickening slam. King seemed to stop moving safe for shallow breathing as he lay in the ring.

The boos and hisses of the crowd echoed throughout the dome as the interloper looked over the fallen King. Turning to his left, he saw numerous policemen come through the door and make their way to the stage. With the crowd now well aware that what the interloper had done was not part of the match plan, the booing continued to increase.

He had no intention of staying long…he just wanted to collect his prize. The interloper grabbed King's head just as the luchadore began to stir. The two stuggled violently, until the interloper kicked the Mexican in the head and yanked the jaguar mask off. King's long brown hair flopped down from the mask and fell over his face as the police fired upon the interloper who jumped down into the hole he made into the ground and vanished.

As King lost consciousness, he could only think of one thing as the police circled the hole in the ground: how he had just lost his most prized possession.

----------

_20 minutes later…_

King, along with Angus, was given a clean bill health by a ringside doctor shortly after the intruder attacked. Once he had gotten confirmation that he could walk, the luchadore quickly ran past the crowds and into the locker room. He had just lost his life's work: the mask of King. His predecessor and sensei had entrusted him with that sacred façade, and he lost it to someone who simply took it from him in only one attack.

"There he is, lad. Hope ye talk some sense into the poor soul…"

Upon hearing Angus' voice, King looked up and saw a blonde-haired young man dressed in a light blue knit shit and navy-colored leather pants, with a pair of nose-pinch glasses sitting on his face. "'ello, chum," the man said with an English accent as he walked up next to the bench where King was sitting. "How are you feeling?"

"…I have just lost everything I have worked to achieve," the Mexican's long hair cloaked his face in an almost-symbolic fashion. "Why are you here, senor Fox?"

"I just wanted to see how you were, King," Steve pushed back his glasses slightly as he took a seat next to the wrestler. "We King of Iron Fist blokes have to stick together. After all, we're both champions of our trade who have faced adversity…so I can relate to losing because of something that went wrong from the outside…"

"Please do not call me by that name," King hung his head down in shame. "I have no right to it anymore. I am a champion no longer…"

"Oh, come now," Steve chuckled slightly in a vain attempt to lighten the mood. "Wrestlers switch names all the time! Surely you could find work under a different stage name. After all, most of the stuff is script-"

"IT IS NOT THE SAME," King bellowed out ferociously while fighting back tears. "When a luchadore loses his mask, he loses the right to continue fighting. It is not just something to cover our face; it is our way of life. It isn't like the professional wrestling back in the United States or Japan or the United Kingdom."

"But you didn't lose it in an official match," Steve protested. "Once we find the felon, you can go right back to helping the children in the orphan-"

"…it makes no difference. He has the mask, and as long as he does, I can do nothing," the Mexican's hair hung down like vines, blocking his face from Steve. "That is the way of the luchadore…"

"…so that's it then…it's over?" Steve stood back up with a frown on his face. "King, the proud and honorable warrior...has been reduced to this blubbering mess because of a mask?" The Englishman's disappointment quickly turned to rage as he watching King sob quietly. "Even though you are no longer a luchadore, you are still a man! If you are going to just throw in the bloody towel, then you had no right to call yourself a champion to start with!"

Steve turned around and headed for the door. "Well, I intend to get that mask back, King, whether you want me to or not…because I can't bear to see your orphans' faces when they realize what a sorry sod you've become…"

------

_Unbelievable…I had no idea that bloody mask was so important._

Steve walked back into the main area of the Saitama Super Arena as he pondered how King had acted. The man sounded like he had just lost his wife or his child. Even though he knew that a luchadore's mask was his trademark, he didn't expect the King of Iron Fist veteran to beat himself up like that over it. _I still have to find that mask, though. Maybe when I get it back, I can challenge King for it so he could feel better that he earned it back…_

"I have been waiting for you, ShinkenBlue…"

Steve turned his head in surprise as he heard an eerily-robotic voice call out his alter-ego. Scanning the arena warily, Steve slowly readied his morpher. Finally, the Englishman spotted his quarry standing in the ring with his arms crossed. It was the same man who attacked King and Angus. "Returning to the scene of the crime so soon after committing it," Steve shook his head in disgust. "Have you no shame?"

"The master has charged me with your elimination. I shall comply by bringing you to him, broken and helpless." The interloper continued his robotic speech, as if completely ignoring what Steve had just said. "Prepare for defeat."

"First thing's first: give me King's mask back, and then I'll take you on." Steve walked up to the stage and outstretched his hand, hoping that (but knowing that it wasn't likely to happen) the mechanical menace would do as he said. "That mask is very close to him: you might as well have cut his tackle off with what you did."

"The Jaguarandi mask is a sacred artifact. My master wishes to have it in his possession." The fiend tossed to mask aside to a nearby turnbuckle. "The fleshling should have been better prepared to guard such a prize. I did him a favor by ridding him of it."

"It was not yours to begin with. You only have a right to it if you defeat him in an official match." Steve climbed over the ropes and got into a corner opposite of the grappler. "So how about we make a wager: if I beat you, you give me the mask back, and if you beat me, I go with you no questions asked. How does sound, mister…?"

"…I am Aztechno the Lucha Machine, and I accept your challenge." Aztechno put his thumb on his chest before assuming a fighting stance. "Transform immediately and prepare to be crushed. The wager is valid so long as you do not call for help."

"That sounds fair," Steve shrugged his shoulders as his morpher glowed with power and indigo light consumed his body. Aztechno did not shield his eyes from the blinding glare of Steve's henshin as his ShinkenBlue suit formed across his body. As soon as the helmet finished materializing over his head, the Englishman got into a fighting stance and moved out of his corner. "Come on, mate…let's go nuts!"

Aztechno sprung into action with a puff of steam from his jetpack and began to circle the ring warily in quick jumps to the side. "Boxers are no match for wrestlers. Muhammad Ali was only able to force a draw with Antonio Inoki because of the many safeguards and rules." Aztechno dashed forward suddenly and began to slide his feet on the ground. "There are no rules in this ring. Prepare to be crushed!"

Steve narrowly dodged Aztechno's sliding kick by jumping over him just as he came by. However, he was not out of trouble by a long shot. Crashing into the ropes, Aztechno ricocheted across the ring and pounded Steve from behind with a lunging head-butt that had the Englishman fall flat on his face. Grabbing the Shinkenger's fallen body by the legs, Aztechno swung Steve around and tossed him into a turnbuckle where he crashed head-first. _Oy…it's a good thing I'm wearing a helmet, or my face would be hamburger from this here turnbuckle, _Steve shook his head from the collision and counted his blessings. _Now it's time I showed him some tricks of my own!_

"There is one thing that separates me from the great Ali," Steve leapt towards Aztechno and landed on the mechanized terror's foot. "My style isn't limited to pure boxing, and that means I can do dirty little things like this little maneuver!" Latching onto Aztechno's arms and tucking them under his shoulders, Steve bent over backwards and sent the luchadore crashing to the ground in a suplex. Quickly getting back up, Steve dropped right back down onto Aztechno with an elbow drop.

Aztechno, quickly recovering, pushed Steve off of him and regained his footing with Steve still in his grasp. The luchadore laughed with a mechanical whirring as his wrapped his left arm around Steve's neck and began pulling. After a few seconds of Steve stuggling to break free, Aztechno jumped into the air with his foe and the two landed on the ground with a thud with a Bulldog Drop.

Scrambling back onto his feet before Aztechno could mount him for another grapple, Steve rose back up with a powerful uppercut, then brought fists downwards for a potent double combination. Ducking under his foe's counterattack, a powerful lariat, Steve countered with a forward punch that sent the fiend flying back to the ropes. _Now to use the momentum of the ropes to bounce him back at me, _Steve formulated a plan as he reared back and his fist crackled with power in preparation for his most powerful technique: the Hellfire punch. _And here he comes now…_

Just when it seemed that Steve had Aztechno where he wanted however, the luchalibre used his jetpack to fly upwards and thus avoiding the lethal blow. Landing behind Steve, Aztechno grabbed him by the neck and began flying around the ring with him. Crashing his head into a turnbuckler, Aztechno flew with Steve into another of its kind until the effect was like a pinball bouncing off of targets. After the sixth collision, the two of them flew up into the air until they reached the ceiling. _Oh no, _Steve doubled his attempts to break himself free as he realized what Aztechno was going to do next. _I have to get out of this grapple, otherwise there's going to be lobotomy all over the ring!_

"This is the end. Prepare to be crushed," the mechanized monster repeated as the two began to spiral downwards with his jetpack propelling their descent. "DEAD END DRIVER, INITIATE!"

_Oh bugger, this is not good, _Steve's world began to spin around violently as he was falling head-first into the ring. _I have to break free NOW!_

Suddenly, just when it seemed like Steve's last hope had faded, Aztechno suddenly dropped Steve as something had him while in midair and his jetpack went spiraling under control. The Englishman landed in his feet, and after stumbing for a few seconds trying to regain his bearings, he looked up and smiled. Now it was Aztechno that came crashing down to the ring headfirst…and latched onto his legs was a bulky man with long brown hair. _Haha…looks like King is finally ready to fight. _Steve stretched a bit before resuming a fighting stance. _Steven Fox, you're a real piece of motivational work!_

"…stay out of this, fleshling formerly known as King," Aztechno got back up and rubbed the back of his head as his gaze turned to the Mexican, who was dusting himself off. "You have lost your mask: you are bound by your code not to fight again."

"It is true, I cannot fight as a luchadore without my sacred mask," King walked over to Steve's side and assumed a fighting stance. "But even if I am not a King, I am still a man, and as such, I must fight to regain my pride!"

"…you have broken our wager, ShinkenBlue," Aztechno turned to Steve and pointed an accusing finger. "The mask is now forfeit, and you must come with-"

"Uh-uh-uh," Steve wagged his finger in response. "I never called for help nor asked for it: he just barged in on his own accord. Therefore, the wager still stands."

"…very well. He is but a normal fleshling now: his Jaguarandi mask is gone."

"The strength of a King lies not a mask, fiend," King dashed at Aztechno with a full run with such speed that Aztechno didn't have time to react. "The power of a King lies in the heart! A monster like you can never grasp that!" Grabbing onto Aztechno's head just as he reached him, King used the running momentum to ram his knee into the machine-man's face and send him crashing to the ground. Not stopping the assault, King leapt high into the air with his ki flashing across his body and sent Aztechno right back down just as he got up with a double-fisted hammer: the Kings' trademark Capital Punishment technique.

Aztecho let out exhaust (which was his way of grunting in pain) as he got back up, narrowly dodging King's elbow. Ducking down and grabbing King's legs, Aztechno swung him around and around until finally letting go and sending the Mexican flying out of the ring. However, King grabbed onto one of the ropes and used his momentum to his advantage once again, turning around and flying right back into Aztechno with a Tiger Feint Kick.

Aztechno stumbled and let off more exhaust as he walked right into Steve, who pummeled his midsection with a series of quick punches that he was unable to hold back. Clearly Aztechno had underestimated both of them: he was not expecting King to come back after losing his mask. After a little over a dozen jabs, he was sent straight up into the sky with a powerful uppercut. "This is impossible," Aztechno's jetpack righted himself in midair and he looked down upon his two foes. "I am Aztechno the Lucha Machine. I cannot be defeated so easily."

"You are right," King reared back and jumped high into the air using his ki to power his muscles in order to catch Aztechno and drag him back down to ground. "It is not an easy task defeating you…but it can still be done!" Pulling Aztechno down, King positioned himself so that his feet were on top of the Lucha Machine's back. Leaping off the back, King landed on the mat while propelling Aztecho downwards…right into Steve's crackling hands.

"Say goodnight, Aztechno," Steve reared back with his ki fully charged as Aztechno came his way. "HELLFIRE VERTICAL!"

With a powerful uppercut that made a loud cracking sound when it connected, Steve sent Aztechno right back up into the air, and he crashed through the roof while shooting fire out of his jetpack. As he crashed through, his body burst into a fiery plume with a mechanical screech. "And so another one bites the dust," Steve dusted off his hands as he took a deep breath. "Good teamwork there, chum."

King nodded his head in acknowledgement as he picked up his mask that was left on one of the turnbuckles and looked at it long and hard. "Today I almost lost everything I held dear," King said out loud to no one in particular. "I have dedicated my life to this mask, and when I lost it, I became but a shadow of a man…it wonder if I am still worthy to wear it."

"Well, let me ask you something, my friend," Steve walked over to the wrestler and placed his gloved hand on his shoulder. "Where does a spirit of a King truly lie: does it lie in the mask, or does it lie in its bearer?"

"…not too long ago, I might have said the mask," King smiled as he put the jaguar mask back on his head. "Your words cleanse my spirit...I thank you."


	7. Episode 6: Where Do We Go Now?

Steve Irwin, one of the kindest and greatest men ever, has died in a freak stingray attack.

This guy had some critics who thought what he did was too extreme, but this man was a genuinely nice person. He loved animals as much as he loved his family...and he loved his family a LOT. And if I may be so bold, he was perhaps as manly as Chuck Norris...IF NOT MANLIER.

I am so grief-stricken. This is the second TV personality who has played a big role in my life who has died this year. First it was Machiko Soga, and now it's Steve Irwin.

That being said, I'm sorry this one took a bit longer than usual, and might not be up to the same quality as the others. However, I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless.

_-----------_

_Even though my bid for the Jaguarandi mask had ended in failure, I was wise enough to give myself alternatives in case that particular plot went up in smoke. I noticed that the key to defeating the Shinkenger lay not in the quality of the particular creature that I would create on any given day, but the materials used to manufacture them. Thus, I planned to use the Jaguarandi mask to create my own creature. With that falling out, I focused on another item._

_Red Crow and Rusty Wing are a katana/shuriken group that was used by a feared kunoichi back in Astaroth's age: knowledge that I gained from the book I acquired from Heihachi's library and confirmed by Astaroth himself. I was planning to purchase it at an online auction, but someone in Tokyo had already purchased it: a weapons merchant, to be precise._

_After looking at the man's profile by hacking into Interpol's database, I saw that he was but a mere swindler with a lengthy criminal record: no one was going to miss him. Astaroth had been growing restless from lack of bloodshed, so I dispatched him to "persuade" the buyer to hand over the two weapons whose power he clearly had no idea about._

_Astaroth ran into some unexpected company, however._

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As one of the largest and busiest cities on the planet, Tokyo also had a bustling nightlife where dance houses and nightclubs opened for the hard-working class of the daytime to kick back and enjoy themselves at night. Some of them were open to the public in general, and others were reserved for only the social elite. Fine wine, pulsing beats, and pleasurable company awaited those lucky enough to get into the latter.

For those who wanted a slightly less risqué experience, there was the next-best thing: a quiet pub known as "the Warrior's Den." It was first set up in Tokyo twenty-four years before to coincide with the first King of Iron Fist tournament, hence how it received its name. Paul Phoenix and Michelle Chang frequented the bar the most during that time, and soon other fighters began to build up tabs at the pub. By the time the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 had concluded, the names of people who had visited the Warrior's Den included not only Phoenix and Chang, but Lei Wulong, Bryan Fury, Bruce Irwin, King, Craig Marduk, Marshall Law, and (to the surprise of those who asked) Jun Kazama.

_It's definitely weird coming here again when it's not tournament time, _Hwoarang thought to himself as he walked through the door and entered the renowned pub and sat down at the bar counter, _but whatever. I could use some booze right about now…_

A few minutes earlier, he and Jin had a major argument about how to go about searching to Astaroth, the man(or whatever he was) that killed what was left of his precious gang. Jin was satisfied with investigating the connections between the attacks on the office building and the airport using the list of casualties from the incidents, while Hwoarang had decided that it would be much more productive to actively search of him by scouring the city, thus preventing him from striking in the first place.

The two young men argued violently over how to go about their plan of attack until Xiaoyu popped in and told both of them to chill out. Hwoarang left the Mishima Mansion in a huff and went to ride on his motorcycle to let off some steam. Even though mashing Jin's face would have made him feel better, it would definitely hurt his chances of getting his revenge on Astaroth if the team was one man short.

_Hmph…and since when was I a team player to begin with? _Hwoarang asked himself as he waited for someone to take his order. The only reason he joined the Shinkengers was so that he could avenge his fallen comrades and take down Astaroth, but in the past couple of days he was nowhere to be found. Hwoarang had expected his quest for vengeance to be a week at the most: at the rate things were going, he looked to be in it for the long haul.

"So what'll it be, handsome?"

Hearing the feminine voice, Hwoarang looked up and saw a caucasian woman dressed in a tuxedo with her hair dyed crimson. _At least the barkeep's easy on the eyes, _Hwoarang smiled as he responded to the female bartender. "I'll take the strongest stuff you got, babe."

The barkeeper smiled and reached back to the wine cupboard behind her and rummaged through the bottles in her quest to find the drink that her current customer had requested. Once she found what she was looking for, she removed the bottle out of the cupboard and popped open the cap.

"Hey barkeep," another female voice beckoned from the opposite end of the bar counter from where Hwoarang was sitting. "Add his tab to mine, if you'd be so kind."

Hwoarang looked to the woman and raised an eyebrow at her strange attire. She was a brown-haired woman wearing a beige cowboy-leather vest that was opened wide and barely hiding her modesty, and pants made of the same material and color. Wrapped around her head was a handband with two feathers stick out of the back. _Wait a second, _Hwoarang recognized the woman simply by her exceptionally-muscular thighs, _wasn't she in the last tournament?_

"Hey lady," Hwoarang called out to the woman who paid his tab as he moved over to the seat next to her. "Do you by any chance know anyone named 'Julia Chang'?"

"Yep, I'm her adoptive mom. The name's Michelle Chang," Michelle gave a thumbs-up as the barkeeper gave Hwoarang his drink and Michelle a piece of paper. "You must be Hwoarang: it's nice to meet ya."

"Yeah, whatever: thanks for paying my bill. However, I make it a point not to date women twice my age, so don't get any ideas," Hwoarang nodded and took a swig of his alcohol, but quickly put the glass down and started coughing. _Oy, what the hell is this? I've never tasted booze this strong before!_

Michelle let out a laugh as she watched Hwoarang try to regain his bearings. "That stuff was something that Paul and I came up with before you were even a thought in someone's head: back during the first King of Iron Fist Tournament." Michelle gave Hwoarang a pat on the back as she too took a swig of her beverage, although she didn't cough. "It's called 'the Drink of Healing.' It may have some extra kick to it, but it's good for the soul…and from the looks of things, you could use it."

"And just what the hell do you mean by that?" Hwoarang replied, slightly irked by hearing that.

"You just have that look on your face," Michelle shrugged as she took another drink. "A penny for your thoughts, as they say…is something troubling you?"

"Quite frankly, it's none of your business," Hwoarang snapped back with irritation and took a long gulp of his "Drink of Healing," although he didn't really feel any better despite its name, "so butt out, lady!"

"…never mind, I think I might have guessed it," Michelle finished off her drink and handed it the now-empty glass to the barkeeper. "You lost your friend, and now you want to get even with the person who took him away."

Hwoarang stopped drinking and raised his eyebrow again before putting his glass back down. "…is it really that obvious?" he asked with a grim expression on his face.

"Nah…it's just that you're not the only one is this room whose had the monkey called revenge clinging to his back," Michelle's voice became slightly less chummy as she answered Hwoarang's question, "or in my case…_her_ back."

"Is that so?" Hwoarang turned in his seat so that he was facing Michelle. "Am I to believe to Julia's mom has rats in her closest? Now _this _I have to hear!"

"Back before the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, old man Heihachi had sent men to my homeland in Arizona to an ancient treasure. My mom and dad weren't too keen about that, though…and after a couple of months, one of his goons finally snapped…and took out my old man." Michelle's voice was solemn as she remembered her mother's tears when she told her about the incident. "That's actually the reason I entered that tournament: to mash that schmuck's head and play soccer with it."

"Yeah, I hate that old bastard, too," Hwoarang shook his head as he too remembered the humiliation he had suffered at the King of Iron Fist's hands, only it was a mere two weeks ago rather than twenty-four years back. "Being how that he's still around, I'm guessing you never got to take him out."

"Nope, but I ran into him two years later in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2." Michelle nodded to the bartender as she handed her a refill of her alcohol while she continued. "Mishima Jr also wanted his hands on said treasure, and kidnapped my mom in an attempt to blackmail it out of me. When I got to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, Heihachi was competing as a normal competitor and suddenly we were in the same boat; suddenly, getting my revenge became a lot easier…"

"So why didn't you do it?" Hwoarang, his interested piqued, asked expectantly.

"I grew up." Michelle replied with a surprisingly simplistic answer. "After the second tournament, Heihachi said that he would compensate my family for all of the trouble the Zaibatsu had caused us, and soon after that I found Julia. Once I began to raise her, revenge just didn't have the same appeal to me anymore…because I had friends and family to back me up."

_Friends to back her up, huh? _Hwoarang repeated her words to himself as he pondered what she was getting at. "What's your point? Are you saying that I should forget about it?"

"Of course not; I still wouldn't mind knocking Heihachi and Kazuya down a few pegs, but you shouldn't get obsessed over it. Because once you fulfill that revenge…do you have any plans on what you're going to do next?"

"…" Hwoarang had no answer. He had thought nothing of what he would do once he destroyed Astaroth, because there was really nothing else that mattered to him at the moment. Taking his silence as a "no," Michelle continued.

"Just remember, there are things more important than life than settling a vendetta. Think about that for a while, and you'll see what I mean." Michelle smiled again and lifted her now-refilled glass in a toast. "To friends and good times!"

Hwoarang hesitated at first, but gave in after a couple of seconds and responded by lifting his glass as well. "May the good times roll…"

--------

After a few drinks, Hwoarang parted ways with the Michelle and the bartender and headed for his motorcycle. Turning to key to ignition, his motorcycle whirred to life. Hwoarang pulled out of the curb and carefully went back onto the road. Even though he had a nice chat with a fellow King of Iron Fist competitor, there was still no Astaroth to be found. _Another day, another no-show, _Hwoarang muttered to himself as he began to pick up speed. _I better head back: maybe that idiot Jin found something I can use._

Suddenly, Hwoarang spotted a familiar figure caught in his headlight walking on the side of the road. _No way…that's just too convenient, _Hwoarang did his best to ignore the figure as he kept on driving. _I must be still be stoned from that crazy booze…_

However, when the figure suddenly leapt out at his motorcycle and tackled Hwoarang until they swerved off the road, Hwoarang realized that it was not an illusion. _It's him…Astaroth! _The two of them narrowly avoided crashing into a lamp post as Hwoarang quickly hit the brakes and turned the motorcycle off. Breaking free of the behemoth's hold, Hwoarang got away from his bike and assumed a fighting stance.

"Huh…I didn't expect to find you here," Astaroth said with that awful voice as he tossed Hwoarang's motorcycle aside. The golem was dressed in his usual black trenchcoat and hat that he used in his attacks, and his giant battle ax was hoisted over his left shoulder. Hwoarang noticed that in his opposite hand was a rectangular brown box about two feet long and a foot wide.

"First you kill my gang, and then you trash my bike?" Hwoarang clenched his fist as he assumed a fighting stance. "What is your malfunction?"

"I see that the others aren't with you. Go away until you've brought your friends so I can kill you all at once," Astaroth scoffed in disappointment and turned in the opposite direction. Apparently he had better things to do than engage in bloody combat…which was something very rare for Astaroth being how bloodshed was his favorite pastime by far.

However, he didn't get very far, as Hwoarang ran up and kicked him in the back of the head so hard that Astaroth stumbled over. Turning around to block a secondary kick, Astaroth sent Hwoarang reeling back with a bump of his chest. "Do you really want die that badly? I said get lost!"

"And I say go to hell where you belong!" Hwoarang's morpher crackled with purplish energy as he applied his foot to the golem's face and grinded his heel into him. The light soon began to spread across his arm, and as removed his foot to kick Astaroth in the chest, it had spread across his entire body. Sending the creature spiraling backwards with a lethal roundhouse kick, Hwoarang's ShinkenBlack suit had completely covered his body. As soon as his helmet materialized over his face, Hwoarang resumed his fighting stance and prepared for Astaroth's counterattack.

"If that's the way you want you play," Astaroth angrily tossed aside the box he was carrying and pounded his axe on the ground to summon his Lizard-men, "I'll be more than happy to oblige!" The red-skinned reptilian creatures popped out of the ground snarling and hissing as their bared their fangs and claws at what they hoped to be their next meal.

"Do you think these freaks are going to stand against me?" Hwoarang kicked one of the creature's faces in with a sharp crack and it fell to the ground, clearing the path for Hwoarang. "I'll mangle every last one of 'em!"

Another Lizard-man came up to Hwoarang and took at swipe at him with his claws. Hitting their marks, friction-induced sparks flew from Hwoarang's chest as the claws ran up against his armor. Clutching his chest for a moment, Hwoarang backed away and ducked under a tail whip. Grabbing the tail with his free hand, Hwoarang pulled the attack Lizard-man towards him and broke its spine with an axe kick. Once he did that, he used the corpse as a bludgeon and tossed the deceased creature into its comrades.

Three more Lizard-men approached the Korean youth and grabbed onto him with their teeth, sinking their fangs into his arms. However, Hwoarang's adrenaline rush helped block out the blinding pain, allowing him to stay focused and throw them off his arms by bashing their heads together with a forward flapping motion. One of the Lizardmen refused to let go, and it paid for its mistake as Hwoarang pulled it off of him with his free hand and tossed him into a lamp post.

"Is that all you got, baldy?" Hwoarang grabbed the final Lizard-man's mouth and ripped its jaw off using his enhanced strength powered by his suit. "You just rely on your reptiles to do your dirty work?" Outstretching his arms in defiance, Hwoarang motioned to the reptilian monsters that were either dead or unconscious. "Well, take a good look: you're going to be joining them in a few minutes!"

Astaroth hoisted his axe Kutules into the air and let out an awful war cry. "If you really want to die that badly, then prepare to meet those two peons in hell!" Running towards Hwoarang with his axe raised, Astaroth sent the Korean flying backwards with a shoulder tackle. Continuing to rush madly, Astaroth capitalized his attack by trampling the fallen Shinkenger as he tried to get back up.

Finally rolling out of harm's way, Hwoarang scrambled back onto his feet and jumped away from Astaroth's blade. Using the soles of his shoes to kick away Astaroth's follow-up swipe, Hwoarang kicked the blade of Kutules away and ran up to the now defenseless golem. Rearing back his fist as it crackled with purplish ki, Hwaorang tossed a powerful straight punch that hit the monster in his face.

Astaroth reeled back in pain from the surprisingly powerful attack, and just barely dodged a roundhouse kick to his head. Snatching Hwoarang out of the air just as the Korean was about to go for his Hunting Hawk combination, Astaroth rammed his head against the youth's dangling body, and tossed him away by spinning him around wildly until letting go, like how young David used his sling to defeat the great Goliath in biblical times, only the roles were reversed.

Hwoarang screeched against the ground for a bit before finally stopping himself and standing back up. It was certainly much harder fighting Astaroth now then it had been in the past, being how he was alone and he didn't have Jin and the others to wear the golem down. _It doesn't matter, _Hwoarang told himself as he resumed his fighting stance, _I don't need, Jin, Steve, or the girls to take this guy out! _

Hwoarang's body contined to ooze blood from the wounds he received from both Astaroth and the Lizardmen. Even though the black color of his suit helped mask his wounds, the white parts were stained with crimson: either from his own blood of the blood of the Lizardmen he took care of moments before. However, Hwoarang was in the grips of frenzy: unlike Jin, he had no good reason to hold back the uncontrollable rage that was inside of him. Running up to Astaroth once again, the two warriors clashed fists and kicked each other away.

Hwoarang felt woozy as the blood loss was finally going to his head. Gathering his ki for one final, fatal attack, Hwoarang cupped his hands together and reared back. "See this light, freakshow?" Hwoarang shouted out as Astaroth readied his axe. "This is the light that's going to guide you to hell!" Unleashed the energy he had gathered, Hwoarang let loose a purple ball of energy that left lightning of the same color in its wake. "SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"

Astaroth did not flinch: in fact, he was smiling beneath his mask. Lifting his ax high into the air and rearing back, Astaroth seemed to mimic a baseball player standing at plate while the ball of power raced towards him. Then, with his axe crackling with his own evil ki, the golem swung his "bat" and hit the ball to send it right back to Hwoarang. Hwoarang, too startled and tired to dodge, took the blast head on was sent crashing into his motorcycle that was still lying in the road.

Astaroth breathed heavily as he walked over to the fallen Hwoarang. The youth had given him a lot more trouble than when he last ran into him. However, all of that was over now. His soul was ripe for the harvest, and Astaroth wasn't about to let him go. Placing his foot on Hwoarang's neck to hold him still, Astaroth raised his axe and prepared for a killing blow.

Fortuantely for Hwoarang but unbeknownst to the Korean, a familiar voice buzzed in the golem's ear.

_Astaroth, let him be for now,_ Kazuya's voice whispered in Astaroth's ear via the tiny radio in the behemoth's ear. _Let him live with his despair, knowing that no matter how much stronger he becomes he'll still be no match for you. Now bring me what I asked you to bring me immediately._

Astaroth thought about it for a moment, and nodded to himself in agreement as he removed his foot and walked over to the box that he had tossed aside earlier. Normally he would argue with Kazuya, but his boss had a nice way with words. Letting Hwoarang's soul fester for a while did sound appealing.

"We're…not finished yet…"

Astaroth turned around and saw Hwoarang struggle back onto his feet and groggily assume a fighting stance. The golem let out a loud laugh and continued on his way. "Next time we meet, I can promise you it'll a fight to the death. I suggest you get your life in order before then!"

Hwoarang tried to pursue his hated foe, but when he tried to take a step, he stumbled and fell flat onto his face with his ShinkenBlack suit fading away in purplish light leaving all of his wounds and gouges open for the world to see. _Damn, _Hwoarang thought to himself as he drifted into unconsciousness, _I had him on the ropes too…_

--------------

"Uuuuuhhhh…"

Hwoarang let out a moan as he came to and slowly opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was Astaroth turning his own attack against him, and then turning tail. Once he was fully awake, he realized that he was no longer on the street, but lying on a couch. Looking around at the room, Hwoarang came to the conclusion that he was back at the Mishima Mansion. _How did I get here?_

"It's about time you woke up," a voice called next to Hwoarang. The Korean turned his head and saw Jin and Xiaoyu sitting at the couch opposite of him. "Michelle Chang came by an hour ago with you and your bike trashed. Xiaoyu here managed to patch you up and your motorcycle is right now in the garage."

"Whatever; thanks for the stitch, Xiao," Hwoarang willed his body into motion and propped himself up so that he was sitting up on the couch rather than lying on it. "Hey, Jin, isn't this your cue to give me one of those long-winded speeches about how Astaroth is someone to take out together rather than go one-on-one?"

Jin's chuckled slightly before answering Hwoarang's question, "well, it seems that he did all the talking for me. What were doing out there, anyway?"

"…I just needed some time to myself," the Korean winced slightly from a sharp pain in his abdomen before getting back up and going to a nearby window. "I've been doing some thinking…and I agree with you about Astaroth."

"…you what?" Jin raised an eyebrow in surprise. Hwoarang was characteristically defiant, especially when it came to matters involving his archrival Jin. Hearing the Korean say something that didn't in any way contradict what Jin would say was certainly astonishing.

"Ever since Jae and Choi got knocked off, I always thought this was a one-man battle," Hwoarang continued. "but I realize that without my gang, I don't have any real purpose." The Korean turned back around and looked at Jin and Xiaoyu. "When I fought Astaroth tonight, it occurred to me: you guys are my gang now; you two, Steve, Asuka, and me. If we can't take down Astaroth as a gang, then it's not worth doing at all!"

"All right, Hwoarang," Xiaoyu broke the solemn moment with her cheerful voice. "So does that mean you're part of the team now?"

"Heh, being as how I don't have anywere else to go right now," Hwoarang smirked as he went back to the couch and sat back down, "I'm in this for the long run. As long as we keep on kicking ass and taking names, then count me in!"

"Excellent," Jin regained his composure and clapped his hands together in agreement. "I'll get Steve and Asuka and we can go over what I found out about Astaroth's attacks. The next time we meet, we'll be sure to take him out!"


	8. Episode 7: Peacemaker

September 13th marks the birthday of yours truly! Happy 20th birthday to me!

Well, I don't have much to say today, so I'll cut right to the chase.

I promise this will be the last filler episode! Next couple of eps will feature the trademark sixth hero! And if you've read my last fic...you might be seeing a familiar face under that helmet (a lot of you guys, both at TZ and seem to like him).

Enjoy!

This goes out to all the people who died on 9/11.

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Even though the Lizard-men's attack on the Tokyo Airport three days earlier made the arrival of the world's leaders an unpleasant one, the Mishima Peace Conference continued as planned thanks to the efforts of the elusive vigilante group known to the press as the "Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger." Even though no one could pinpoint their whereabouts or their identities, the way they had fought off Astaroth at the Marunouchi Building and his reptilian flunkies at the Tokyo Airport brought forth a sense of ease and thus allowed the world's leaders to go about their business with security.

Overseeing the event from his private training facility located somewhere in Mt. Fuji, Heihachi Mishima spoke to the world leaders in between his intense sparring sessions with his pet bear Kuma. Even though Heihachi would normally descend from the mountain to speak to the leaders there, given how he was preparing for a war with G-Corporation, he couldn't let his guard down for an instant.

However, Heihachi was still the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and he wasn't about to shirk from his duties. Thus, he had the leaders themselves come to his facility in Mt. Fuji for one day to discuss whatever it was they wished to discuss, while the ambassadors from the UN stayed within the city to meet with the peacekeepers supplied by the Mishima Zaibatsu. After that one day had passed, the Conference would enter its final stages with all of the leaders and ambassadors coming to the Tokyo Dome for the main conference.

One of the negotiators supplied by the Mishima Zaibatsu was a young Chinese woman by the name of Ling Xiaoyu. Recently, she had been helping Jin Kazama in his investigation of the links between the attacks that Astaroth or his Lizard-men instigated. They were definitely making progress, but duty called when Heihachi asked Xiaoyu to meet with one of the Zaibatsu peacekeepers. _You are one of the most compassionate women I know, _Heihachi reassured the hesitant Xiaoyu over the phone before she left to meet the peacekeeper, _you should be fine._

_The only problem is that I don't know too much about politics,_ Xiaoyu thought to herself with cynical nervousness as she entered the café where she was supposed to meet the peacekeeper. _But Grandpa Heihachi believes in me, and that's good enough for me!_

The café was located in near a park that had a section of it entirely devoted to the conference. Some people said that it was a very inconvenient place to hold such an event, but Heihachi insisted otherwise: this way, people can see for themselves just how the process of negotiating works. Just as the King of Iron Fist Tournament was held across numerous locations, so was the Mishima Peace Conference.

After looking around the tables for a couple of minutes, Xiaoyu found her quarry: a medium-built man with a deep tan wearing a light blue business suit reading a newspaper while sipping a cup of coffee. All across the coffee table were numerous beige folders, each with a name of a different county written at the top, and sitting next to his leg was a black suitcase. However, Xiaoyu found the most interesting aspect of this man to be his dark hair: it stood up almost a foot in the air and then once it reached its peak, it drooped down slightly. It wasn't gelled up like Paul Phoenix's hair, but had more a resemblance to what Xiaoyu could only describe as "celery-like."

_That's definitely the guy,_ Xiaoyu took a deep breath after taking one last look at his exotic hairdo before approaching the coffee table he was sitting at. _Don't worry about a thing, Xiao…just believe in yourself. You can do this…_

"You must be Ling Xiaoyu," the man said unexpectedly without breaking his gaze from his newspaper just as Xiaoyu was about to say something. "My name is Ahmet Kundackchi: I'm the Turkish diplomat appointed by the Mishima Zaibatsu. Please sit down: we have much to discuss."

"Thank you very much," Xiaoyu bowed her head in respect before taking a seat. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"I'm sure as well," Ahmet put down his newpaper and folded it so that it was so longer in his way, and then reached for one of the many folders. "I think it would be wise if we started with Japan: being as how Heihachi told me that you are relatively new to this, beginning the overview with the country you are most familiar with would probably be beneficial."

"It's no problem at all, Kundackchi-san," Xiaoyu again bowed her head as she pulled out the backpack that she brought with her and took out a laptop computer. "Jin went over most of this with me last night. We can start on any country you want!" Opening the top flap of the laptop, Xiaoyu turned the computer on and waited for it to boot up. Once it had done all of its booting procedures, she opened up a word processing document and prepared to type.

"Hmph…children and their toys," Ahmet thought out loud as he opened up his folder that was labeled with the word _Japan. _"I remember when all I had to use was a piece of paper and something to write with while taking notes." Taking out a few sheets of paper, he handed the top two in the stack to Xiaoyu and she began clicking away at the sheet's contents to send to Heihachi via his private network. "However, being a negotiator is more than doing secretary work, little miss. You must also be prepared for the unexpected…"

"Hm?" Xiaoyu looked up from her laptop and raised an eyebrow upon hearing such a cryptic comment. "What do mean by that?"

"Let's say you were assigned to fix a border dispute between, say…" Ahmet looked at his folders strewn across the coffee table as he tried to find a nice example. Spotting two names that would make sense, he continued, "…suppose it was the United States and Mexico, just for theory. The United States claims that Mexico is little by little invading the south, but Mexico says that the United States is going too far south and is settling in Mexico without their consent. All of the sudden, you are forced to decide who is right and who is wrong. What would you do?"

"Hmmm," Xiaoyu thought about it for the moment, and responded with her trademark childish simle. "First I would define where that internationally-recognized borderline actually is. Once we do that, people would be able to see who is at fault and the problem is solved. No one loses land nor gains any: everyone's happy!"

"That's a logical answer, to be sure," Ahmet smirked as a he took another sip of his coffee. "It's also one I'd expect from a rookie. Unfortunately, most people aren't that sensible: sometimes the right choice isn't the choice that the sides are looking for. Occasionally they become willing to fight for the right to call themselves 'the one who is not at fault…'"

Ahmet's response made Xiaoyu a little tense. She really hadn't thought about what would happen if two countries wound up waging war upon each other once the conference was over. Not only would Heihachi and Jin's credibility be questioned, but the Mishima Zaibatsu's reliability as a whole. "I…I don't what would happen then unless I was there, Kundackchi-san," Xiaoyu said quietly, embarrassed that she did not have a good answer. "If that does happen, I just hope the decision I make is the right one."

"Fortunately, I doubt we'll be that situation this year, but it's good to know that you're ready to take responsibility, eh?" Ahmet let out a loud laugh, finding Xiaoyu's timid response humorous. Once he regained composure (and made sure that Xiaoyu's feelings weren't hurt by his little bit of fun), Ahmet handed the next set of papers to Xiaoyu for her to once again record into the Zaibatsu's database. "I can see what Heihachi asked you to oversee this part of the conference: you may be new, but seem to have good grip on things."

"Ah, thank you," Xiaoyu blushed slightly after hearing such a compliment. "Heihachi and Jin both said that you are one of the best peacekeepers the Zaibatsu has! It's an honor to hear that from-"

The Chinese girl stopped what she was doing as she looked beyond Ahmet and to the park that was behind him. There was billowing smoke in the distance. The Turkish man followed her gaze and saw the smoke as well. "That's strange: even if someone was having a barbeque, the smoke wouldn't be that thick…"

_It looks like it's coming from the area in the park where I'm supposed to meet a lot of the other people in the conference, _Xiaoyu thought while trying to hold back her panic as she saved her work and closed her laptop quickly. "Kundackchi-san, I'm sorry about this but I need to go now! I promise I'll come back as soon I can!" Stuffing her laptop back in her pack, Xiaoyu left it at the coffee table and rushed out to approach the smoke.

Ahmet casually waved goodbye as she made a mad dash out of the café, and then his calm smiling face acquired a more stern expression while gathering all of his folders and placing them in a neat stack before placing them in Xiaoyu's backpack. _Meanwhile, I will conduct my own investigation,_ the diplomat mused to himself as he picked up the backpack and his suitcase and went over to a nearby alleyway.

Once he felt that he had enough privacy, he put down the backpack and opened up his suitcase. Ahmet admired its contents for a moment before removing them: the case was filled with pieces of magenta armor. Segments for the arms, torso, legs and feet were taken out of the suitcase as the Turkish diplomat quickly placed them on his body. Within seconds, his body was sheathed within the plating of the "Tekken Forces."

All that remained was the final piece of the armor: a magenta helmet with a dark yellow visor acting as the eyepiece, with the overall shape of the helmet forming a snout near the mouthpiece. Placing the helmet over his head, the circuits of the suit hummed to life as the yellow lights within the helmet lit up giving Ahmet's face an eerie glow.

_OK then,_ the Tekken Force member picked the backpack back up and ran out to where Xiaoyu had headed off to. _I think it's time for Tekken Force Captain Ahmet Kundackchi to enter the field!_

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The Jindai Shokubutsu Park: best known for its botanical garden. One can enjoy the greenery of the trees and the beauty of the flowers all year round. It used to be a nursery for street trees in Tokyo. After the war, it was opened to the public as "Jindai Ryokuchi" or "green lung." In 1961, the name was changed to "Jindai Shokubutsu Koen". And it became the only botanical garden in Tokyo at that time.

Now, it has 100,000 trees and shrubs representing approximately 4,500 varieties. It is divided into 30 blocks according to variety, rose, azalea, ume plum, bush clover, among others. It is designed to be able to learn the knowledge of the trees and plants while you enjoy gazing at them. Furthermore, the institution is working on protecting species which have been grown in Japan for a long time. It also has the exhibitions and other activities related to gardening to redound to citizens' interest in the trees and plants.

One of those "other activities" included the Mishima Peace Conference, where most of the city-based meetings would be held while the world leaders headed to Mt. Fuji. However, it would appear that something went awry. Xiaoyu arrived at the scene to find a devastating wreck: the podium was reduced to burning wood, and chairs were strewn everywhere. _Attacking during a time of peace…how cruel, _Xiaoyu's spirits continued to drop as she assessed the damage. _Is our enemy that heartless?_

Screams began to fill the air as Xiaoyu turned around and looked to a few dozen meters away. Once again getting her legs into action, the young woman ran over and saw a familiar sight: seven plum-clad behemoths that were around seven feet tall with mechanized arms and red-eyed faces devoid of emotion. _Those are Jack-4 units,_ Xiaoyu continued to dash towards the area of chaos. _I guess G-Corporation wants to smear the reputation of the Zaibatsu by causing trouble during the conference._

Finally reaching the Jacks' location, Xiaoyu tossed herself in front of the group, thus allowing the bystanders caught in the crossfire to get away safely. _And now that they're out of the way, _Xiaoyu assumed a fighting stance as the Jacks took notice of her and approached her, _it's time to show them some manners!_

The robotic giants looked at each other for a moment, almost as if they were siliently discussing what to do next. After a few seconds, they quietly nodded to each other and then turned back to Xiaoyu to assume a fighting stance. There were seven of them, and only one of her. It shouldn't have been a problem.

The Jack-4 group made the first move with one of them coming at Xiaoyu with a wild punch, which the Chinese girl dodged effortlessly. Preparing to counterattack, Xiaoyu ducked down and got into her Phoenix stance. Moving to the side as a different Jack brought its fist downwards, Xiaoyu rose back up and sent the attacking Jack into the air with a rising palm thrust: her trademark Wave Crest technique.

"OW!" Xiaoyu cried out loud as she shook her hands violently while kicking away the airborne Jack. "Their hides are even tougher than the Lizard-men's!" She managed to get a look at where she hit that said Jack as it landed: there wasn't even a dent. Xiaoyu quickly backflipped away from one of its allies' punches, and then resumed a fighting stance with her morpher crackling with yellow power. By the time one of the Jacks caught up with her, her ShinkenYellow suit had already formed across her lithe figure. Her helmet materialized simultaneously with a powerful Storming Flower strike that shattered the abdomen of the attacking Jack.

The Jacks' eyes glowed ominously as they observed Xiaoyu's transformation. Even though they were incapable of feeling emotion, they stood still for a moment as their sensors recorded the unknown technique. Xiaoyu, realizing what they were doing, ran towards then and began attacking one of the Jacks.

However, before she could land a blow on one of them, one of the Jack's heads suddenly exploded behind her. Xiaoyu leapt up in surprise and watched the decapitated robot's body stand perfectly still. The Chinese woman looked at the body in curiosity and scratched her head (or rather, the part of the helmet that blocked where she would normally itch) in confusion. _Wow…did I do that?_

"Merhaba, little miss," a voice called out from behind Xiaoyu and the Jacks. "I hope I'm not spoiling your fun!" The seven combatants all turned around to locate the source of the voice, finally resting on a man clad from head to toe in magenta armor, with a pair of silver handguns in each hand smoking from being fired. "However, I'm afraid that this is now a problem for the Zaibatsu to confront. I can't let you face them alone!"

_That voice…it's Kundackchi-san's, _Xiaoyu noticed that one of the Jacks began to advance on the Tekken Fighter so she quickly shot out both of her palms, shattering the robot's back armor and revealing the circuitry within. Sticking her hand into the opening that she produced, Xiaoyu ripped out numerous wires as her victim began to spasm from the gremlin within. After a few seconds, it ceased to move.

Rushing over to where Ahmet stood with his guns ready, Xiaoyu stood next to him and faced their quarry. "Kundackchi-san," Xiaoyu said to the Turkish diplomat, realizing that Ahmet had already figured out that she was ShinkenYellow, "just a moment ago, you were a negotiator from Turkey: was that just a cover-up?"

"Oh no, I'm still a diplomat," Ahmet said between shots as the Jacks began to advance upon the duo. "But I'm also a member of the Tekken Forces: remember, we don't just solve conflicts, we make sure that they don't happen again. You could say that I'm a…peacemaker." He paused for a moment before finishing his sentence as he kicked one of the Jacks away with a forward kick. Placing his guns into their respective holsters that were located in slits in his upper leg armor, Ahmet assumed an unarmed fighting stance as the Jacks finally reached them.

_A peacemaker…I remember Heihachi telling me about them a couple of years ago,_ Xiaoyu thought to herself as she flipped over one of the Jacks and landed on the shouders of its comrade behind it. _They are a special group within the Tekken Force: not only are they top-class fighters, but they are also skilled in politics. Sometimes they can quell conflicts with only one person in their entire group, and without shedding any blood at all!_ Looking at the head of the Jack she was mounted to, Xiaoyu's hands crackled with power most fierce and slapped the Jack in its temple. Even though it seemed like a light slap to a bystander, it still crushed the Jack's head and the body ceased to function as Xiaoyu jumped off of its shoulders.

Now there were only four Jacks remaining. Splitting up, two of them advanced on Ahmet while the other two engaged in battle with Xiaoyu. "Am I to assume you would gang up upon a woman?" Ahmet noticed how the Jacks still outnumbered them. "My Sayokan style and I might have something to say about that!"

Motioning one of the Jacks to come closer, Ahmet got into a defensive position as his intended foe reared back its fist in preparation for a killing blow. Taking advantage of the snare, Ahmet wrapped his arm around the gargantuan's punching limb and placed his hand on the Jack's face, pushing it downwards as hard as he could. The Jack's main circuits lied within its head, and it desperately tried to move its neck around before this human broke it off. Ahmet held on as long as he could, then he swung himself and his quarry around to whack the second Jack with its own comrade.

The two Jacks reeled back as they collided into each other, denting their plum-colored bodies upon collision. After regaining their bearings, the two robots nodded to each other and double-teamed Ahmet once again, this time hitting their mark and sending the armored man flying backwards…right into the Jacks that were attacking Xiaoyu. Realizing where he had landed, he quickly scrambled back onto his feet and rejoined Xiaoyu just as she destroyed another one of the Jacks with her most powerful technique: the Phoenix Strike.

"Xiaoyu, remember when I was telling you about how some people are willing to fight for the right to call themselves 'the one not at fault?'" Ahmet said to the Chinese girl as their backs rubbed against each other while facing the circle of robots that were after their lives. "Take a good look at what we are doing now: fighting against someone who won't back down. If it wasn't for us interfering, who knows how much more damage these guys would have done. Remember: times of peace are ideal, but we must always be vigilant and prepare for war to achieve them."

"Kundackchi-san," Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow beneath her helmet as she assaulted her current foe with a flurry of aerial kicks while Ahmet sent his opponent flying backwards with a powerful straight punch. "Is there any reason why you're lecturing me about this?"

"…it's because Heihachi asked me to," Ahmet replied truthfully as he ducked down so that his legs did the splits to narrowly avoid getting his head punched off by a Jack sneaking up behind him. Using the slick surface of his armor to his advantage, he spun his legs around the ground and swept the Jack off of its feet before spiraling back up and facing Xiaoyu. "He's been considering asking you to join the Tekken Force Peacemakers after you get out of school."

_Heihachi…wants me to be a Tekken Fighter? _Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. _Does he really have that much faith in me? _So engrossed was she in hearing such a reply that she barely had enough to roll away from a Jack's forward kick. Once again gathering her ki, she began circling the Jack with her Hypnotist Walk, and then kicked the Jack's head clear across the field with a falling Deadly Orchid kick. _And here I thought he just saw me as his assistant…_

Suddenly, Xiaoyu's spirits rose as she and Ahmet looked at the final two Jacks. "Kundackchi-san, thank you very much for teaching me about being a peacekeeper," Xiaoyu bowed her head quickly before gathering her yellow ki in her hands and rearing back. "So how about we finish this up so we can get back to the café and finish our discussion!"

Ahmet gave a quick thumbs-up before reaching for his upper leg armor and removing his two handguns. However, instead of firing then, he lifted open a panel on the gun in his left hand to reveal a narrow opening in the back of the pistol. Then, to Xiaoyu's surprise, he stuck the nozzle of the gun in his right hand into the other gun. The two guns whirred for a second, and then hummed in unison. Admiring his newly-created rifle for a moment, Ahmet regained his senses and pointed it at the Jack duo.

Xiaoyu continued to glow with energy, while Ahmet's rifle began to increase its humming noise. Finally, after the Jacks realized what they were doing and charged, the two fighters unleashed their respective attacks.

"SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"

"T-MAGNUM CUSTOM…FIRE!"

Xiaoyu's hands erupted forth a bright yellow sphere of ki leaving lightning in its wake, while Ahmet's "T-Magnum Custom" fired off a wide crimson ray of raw power. The two Jacks attempted to block the attack with their powerful arms, but even their steel could not stand up to such untamed energy. The robot's bodies began to fire off sparks while their armored hides started to melt.

"And with that…" Xiaoyu stuck out his left hand with her fingers forming a "v" shape while the Jacks fell to the ground.

"…mission complete!" Ahmet completed her sentence snapped his fingers in victory as the Jack's internal motors finally detonated and caused the robots to burst in a fiery plume. After the fires had begun to fade, Ahmet detached his two handguns and placed them back in their holsters before turning to Xiaoyu. "So anyway…what answer should I give Heihachi, little miss?"

"…you can tell him that I'll think about it when the time comes," Xiaoyu replied with her youthful energy as she followed Ahmet to a nearby tree where he left her backpack. "But for now…my place is with Jin!"

--------------

_Later that night, I had seen on the news that the Jack units had attempted to throw a wrench in Heihachi's peacekeeping charade. Looking back upon it, it was probably better that I was preoccupied with the matter of Red Crow and Rusty Wing. I have always had a problem with my anger, and I would have most certainly sent Astaroth or his Lizard-men to dispatch of the mechanized oafs. However, that would most certainly bring the Shinkengers and G-Corporation one step closer into figuring out what I was up to, and that would have been unacceptable._

_However, it would make little difference in the long run: I had accessed my son's banking accounts shortly after I heard about the incident, and saw that he had purchased five tickets to Kyoto: it was obvious that he had discovered a link between all of my operations and he intended to head to the old capital to investigate the main headquarters of Genesat, the company that Astaroth had attacked at the Marunouchi Building. Genesat was a subsidiary of G-Corporation and I was almost certain that Jin had begun to catch on. _

_Fortunately, my prize servant had already been completed. _

_He was a dark figure, around six feet in height dressed entirely in dark blue: it was almost as if he was clad with the sky of night. His shoulders and knee-pads were in the shape of human skulls, and his mouth was covered with a grated silver mask. Two glowing crimson orbs acted as his eyes, while his head was covered with a hood. Tied across his back was his two-pronged golden shuriken Rusty Wing, rotating as if it had a mind of its own. At his hip was his shimmering katana Red Crow, shining like its bloodlust had caused it to become brighter than the sun._

"_My lord," he said with a wispy voice as he gracefully jumped off the operating table and got to his knees. "What is your desire?"_

_I smiled that night as told him, "I desire bloodshed. We will head to Kyoto tomorrow morning, and you shall satisfy that desire…Forbidden Ninja Kamikaze…"_


	9. Episode 8: Silver Rush

Here he is...the sixth hero!

Nothing much to say here but...get ready for the NEXT battle!

MAD MAD props to DigitalCount for coming up with the outfit.

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Kyoto is one of Japan's leading large cities, founded upon the Heian Capital, which was built in 794 AD. Its population of near one-and-a-half million citizens lives in harmony with a natural and cultural environment which has developed over time immemorial. Kyoto City is a place where one can truly savor first-hand a rich depth of culture and art steeped in tradition, and set against the changing backdrop of the four seasons, with each one possessing its own charm.

Kyoto is the only large Japanese city that still has an abundance of prewar buildings, such as machiya, or traditional townhouses. However, modernization is continually breaking down the traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, and many groups try to stop this in order to preserve their history.

The city used to be known as Japan's Hollywood with Toei Uzumasa Eigamura. The Eigamura, also known as Toei Movie Land, is also called the "Hollywood of Japan" and was the filming location for many samurai films. Eigamura is a film set and theme park in one, featuring traditional Japanese building replicas which are used as the setting for pre-war period movies and TV dramas: including a replica of the old Nihonbashi Bridge, a traditional court house, a Meiji Period police box and part of the former Yoshiwara red light district. Actual film shooting takes place occasionally, and park visitors are welcome to observe the action.

For any tourist, either from overseas in even within the country, Kyoto was a haven.

For one Asuka Kazama, however, she opted to make her first stop in this tourism trap of a city a simple graveyard.

_Bah, I can't believe I'm here in this creepy graveyard while the others are off doing whatever the hell they want, _Asuka mumbled to herself as she tried to navigate through the labrynith of tombstones. _Well, whatever…it's something I have to do: Masamune-sempai told me to bring flowers to her husband's grave, and I never say no to a fellow Kamen Rider fan!_

Miki Masamune was the head sensei of a rival dojo in Asuka's hometown of Osaka and also the mother of Asuka's childhood rival Kenichi Masamune. A little over two months prior, her husband Takeshi was killed (some would say "executed") by a government agent by the name of Raven, for reasons involving a large weapons trafficking ring headed by the Yakuza. However, Kenichi felt no resentment towards the ninja after learning of the reasons behind his father's death. Upon confronting Raven during the previous King of Iron Fist tournament, he discovered the true object of his hatred: Kazuya Mishima, a man whose personal guard once included his father Takeshi, and the main reason why he was part of the Yakuza in the first place.

Until Kenichi could find it in his heart to forgive his father's sins as well as Kazuya's, it was up to Asuka to carry out his mother's wishes.

_Speaking of whom, I should really track down Yoshimitsu sometime soon and see how he's doing, _Asuka thought while she stopped walking to take a look at her map. _I never thought I'd say this, but I really do miss him…_

Finally identifying where in the graveyard she was situated and where her target grave was, Asuka put away her map and once again contined walking. She had big plans after she had finished doing her little errand. There were so many things to do in Kyoto: buying kimonos, visiting the Toei Movie land, or even checking out the bustling city life. Asuka intended to do all of them in her brief trip to the old capital.

As she reached the location where Takeshi's grave was located however, she saw that someone was already there…and it was a face that she had seen before.

The Japanese man was around six feet in height, dressed in a purple tuxedo with the coattails flowing elegantly in the wind, with his dark gray hair sticking up on end until it created a pointed tip in a manner to what Asuka could only describe as "a duck bill." His eyes were covered with a pair of sunglasses, but Asuka didn't need to see all of his face to know who that man was. There was no doubt about it: this was the very same man who had she seen at the King of Iron Fist tournament.

"Kazuya Mishima," Asuka shouted out as she ran over to the man, "What the hell are you doing here?" Asuka knew full well about the evil that Kazuya usually brought with him, as well as his connection to Kenichi's father. _How dare he show his face here, at the grave of the man whose death he was partially responsible for?_

"…what a rude little girl you are," Kazuya muttered quietly without breaking his gaze with the tombstone he was staring at. "We have never been formally introduced, and yet you speak to me thus?"

"I only show respect to people who deserve it, scumbag," Asuka's tone of voice gave way to her aggravation as she stomped over to where Kazuya was standing. "Now answer my question: what are doing here? Trying to stir up trouble?"

"Trouble? Me?" Kazuya raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly, although Asuka certainly didn't find anything worth smiling about. "I am merely here to pay respects to an old friend. He was one of the few people in my circle who didn't work for me simply for the money involved." Reaching into his pocket, Kazuya pulled out a rose and gently tossed it down in front of the tombstone. Once he did that, he bowed his head slightly before turning around and walking away. "I'm done here: you can do as you wish now."

"Hold it right there, Kazuya!"

Kazuya came to stop as Asuka called out to him. He didn't really care what she thought about him, but he figured that he might as well play her game. "Can I help you, young lady?"

"As a matter of fact, you can!" Asuka's voice continued to maintain its demanding tone as she stomped after Kazuya and then went past him so that she was face-to-face with the Cold-Blooded Prince. "There have been some crazy rumors going on since the previous tournament…and most of them involve either my family and yours!"

"And why should I be concerned about water cooler gossip?" Kazuya replied coldly as his feet went back into motion and began to move him past the young woman. "Besides, any matters involving the Kazamas can be consulted with your father, or even Jin."

"I already spoke to my father, and he told me to talk to Jun…and you want to know what she told me?" Asuka asked rhetorically as she put her hands on her hips. "She told me to talk to you. Now give me some answers!"

"…I have no need to answer any of your questions, Ms. Kazama," Kazuya's voice remained cold and stern as he continued on his way. "Maybe one day, when you are in a more reasonable mood and learn some manners, I will answer your questions. For now, however, I shall take my leave. Seek me out at the next tournament, and maybe by then I'll have forgiven your rudeness."

"What did you say?" Asuka ran up and grabbed Kazuya's shoulder, "forget the tournament: I'll kick your ass right here and-"

Suddenly, Kazuya swung around and hit Asuka in the face with a backhanded punch, then followed up with a second, lower one that swept her off her feet. Spinning around once again before Asuka even hit the ground, Kazuya sent her flying away with a roundhouse kick. Asuka went careening backwards and crashed into the very same tombstone that she went to the graveyard to visit.

_Oy…what a crazy coincidence, _Asuka rubbed where she had crashed and looked at the tombstone. _I wonder if he did that on purpose. Now to teach him a les-huh?_ Asuka stood back up and looked around in confusion. Kazuya was nowhere to be found. _Sheesh…what an asshat,_ Asuka thought to herself while she dusted herself up and turned around to face the grave of Takeshi Masamune.

_Well, as long as I'm here, _Asuka reached into her sleeveless jacket and pulled out a rose, _I might as well pay my respects…here's looking at you, Masamune-sempai…_

-----

_What a nosy woman...she's more like Jun than I ever imagined, _Kazuya brushed off his tuxedo and tightened his tie as he ventured throughout the graveyard in search of his vehicle. _Well, it matters little: very soon, she'll whining a different tune…_

Coming across a paved road that led to the exit, Kazuya located his vehicle and began walking towards it. Even though he claimed he went to Kyoto simply to pay respects, his basic motives were far more sinister. For the past week, Asuka and the Shinkengers had been a thorn at his side in his quest for vengeance against G-Corporation. When he learned that they intended to head to Kyoto in order to investigate the attacks, Kazuya jumped into action and followed the young group. If they dug too deep, the Shinkengers would eventually discover Kazuya's involvement.

That was something he could not allow.

Reaching for the door, Kazuya stopped suddenly. There was someone watching him. _Is it Asuka again?_ Closing his eyes, Kazuya took a deep breath and focused. One of the most basic things any practioner of Mishima-ryu Karate could learn was feel the auras that were around him. By focusing on the energies of everything around him, it was nigh-impossible to sneak up on a Mishima.

The aura of the person spying on Kazuya was nothing like Asuka's: it was dark, and almost as powerful as Kazuya. It certainly didn't belong to anything human. Fortunately, the Cold-Blooded Prince recognized the aura instantly. "A word of advice, my humble ninja," he said with a smirk as he unlocked the door of his limousine and opened it, "do not sneak up upon your master, or you shall die before your mission even begins."

"My lord, forgive me," the figure instantly materialized behind Kazuya in a puff of smoke, kneeling down and holding his head down in respect. "I was merely making sure that you were not in danger."

"I am quite capable of taking care of myself, ninja," Kazuya's smirk turned into a grimace as he heard the dark figure give his excuse. Even though he found his loyalty useful, the thought of him being in danger when he was so powerful was nothing short of ignorance. "Just why would you think I was in danger? Did you finish your reconaissance mission?"

"Indeed, my lord. The four are heading to this very graveyard so that they may obtain their fifth comrade to explore the city as a group. They should be here in approximately fifteen minutes." The ninja's head rose a bit as he continued, "My lord, that woman who tried to attack you…is she the fifth one?"

Kazuya nodded his head as he entered the driver's side of his limousine. "Wait until the she meets up with others, then strike them all at once. However, I would like her and the red one brought to me alive. The rest you may do as you wish."

"As you command, Kazuya-sama," the ninja once again bowed his head before vanishing in another puff of smoke. Once Kazuya felt his servant's aura leave his awareness, he closed to door of his limousine and turned the ignition. _This time, my son,_ Kazuya mused to himself as he began driving out the gate of the graveyard, _you and your cronies will show me all of your moves and powers…_

-------------

"…and just for the record, I think your son is freakin' hot," Asuka said out loud to the gravestone, knowing full well that its owner was not listening to anything she was saying, chiefly because he had passed on. "So if by some freak chance I wind up being part of the family tree Masamune…I'll try to goad my unwitting groom into tossing some flowers this way." Getting off of her knees and dusting herself off, Asuka finished and began walking away. "Wherever you wound up, Masamune-sempai, you be sure to take care of yourself."

_And now that I've gotten that settled, _Asuka straightened her jacket and put a smile on her face, _it's time for me to have some fun out on the town! Maybe I can buy some kimonos, or check out the arcade…maybe even check out the Toei Uzama-_

"Hey, Asuka! Did you have fun grave-hunting?"

Asuka turned to her right and spotted the familiar voice. It was Xiaoyu running towards her, with Jin, Hwoarang, and Steve casually trailing. Asuka noticed that Jin was carrying shopping bags, so when Xiaoyu finally got to where she was, she quickly put her hands on her hips with a slightly disappointed face. "Hey, did you guys go shopping without me? What is your malfuction?"

"Sorry, Asuka-chan," Xiaoyu smiled and rubbed the back of her head, "but I just couldn't help myself! There was so much cool stuff!"

"Cool stuff that came out of my wallet," Jin added while he went over to where the two girls were talking and put down the bags he was carrying. "I do hope this means that you get to do the laundry for the next two weeks, Xiao!"

"Tch…yeah right, Kazama. You pamper that kid way too much," Hwoarang scoffed as he heard what his arch-rival said and spoke in a more quiet tone. "And just why the hell are you still beating around the bush with her anyway? She'd go naked for you in an instant…"

"WHAT? What are you talking about?" Jin raised an eyebrow and quickly backed away.

"Good lord, Jin," Steve shook his head and rolled his eyes as he pushed up his nose-pinch glasses, "You really are dense…hard to believe that you've lead us this fa-" the British man stopped in midsentence. Something or someone had just whizzed past him. "Hey guys, did feel a gust of wind all of the sudden?"

Jin looked around for a moment, then shrugged. "Sorry Steve I didn't feel any-" However, after an extra second, Jin felt it: an aura so dark that it almost made him want to jump out of his skin. After another second, the others began to feel it too: someone was definitely watching them. The Japanese youth took a few steps forward so that he was between where Hwoarang and Steve were standing and where Xiaoyu and Asuka stood. Closing his eyes, Jin focused on his surroundings, hoping to feel out where the dark aura was coming from. _It's not as powerful as Astaroth, but it's unmistakably evil…where is it coming from?_

"GAGH!"

Hwoarang suddenly began to clutch his neck in pain as he shouted out in agony. The other four quickly darted around only to see that no one aside from Hwoarng was standing there. Asuka stomped her foot in frustration. "Stop being an asshole, Hwoarang! That is NOT funny!"

"It…not supposed to be…" Hwoarang continued to gasp for air while he gripped his neck as if someone was strangling him. "Someone…is choking me!" The Korean flailed wildly, trying to shake his unseen adversary off of him. It was no use: the pain would not go away as Hwoarang still had his hands around his neck trying to keep himself from being strangled to death.

As Steve watched him flail, he finally noticed just what was amiss: there was something coming out of Hwoarang's shadow: a dark blue arm that was wrapped around the part of the shadow where Hwoarang's neck would be. "Hold still, old chum: I think I just found the source of your trouble," Steve reassured Hwoarang as he tried to hold him still. "Jin, take a look at his shadow!"

Jin looked down and raised his eyebrows in shock as he watched something emerge out of Hwaorang's shadow: a silver katana being held by a gloved gray hand slowly going upwards with its blade being pointed towards the ground. Being that the other arm was latched around the shadow's neck and thus strangling his owner, Jin could assume that if the katana stabbed the shadow, it would stab Hwoarang as well. Jumping into action, Jin ran over to the shadow and quickly stomped on the arm that was holding Hwoarang and kicked the sword away from its other arm. The arm quickly shrunk back into the shadow as it released its hold on Hwoarang, thus sparing the Korean from an untimely death…for the moment.

"You were able to see through my jutsu…I am impressed," a whispy voice hissed through the Shinkenger's ears as the figure began to emerge out of the shadow of a large tombstone where the katana had landed. Slowly, the figure's full body rose out from the shadow, picking up his katana from the ground and making his features distinguishable to the group: the face of darkness itself.

He was a dark figure, around six feet in height dressed entirely in dark blue: it was almost as if he was clad with the sky of night. His shoulders and knee-pads were in the shape of human skulls, and his mouth was covered with a grated silver mask. Two glowing crimson orbs acted as his eyes, while his head was covered with a hood. Attached two his back was a large two-pronged shuriken that rotated eerily. "I am Kamikaze, the Forbidden Ninja," the interloper spoke in a wispy, eerie voice while he slowly ran his fingers across his katana as he got into a fighting stance. "My lord has decided that you have become a burden…a burden that I shall relieve him from."

"That's what you think, scumbag!" Hwoarang got into a fighting stance as his comrades ran up to join him. Their morphers began to crackle with raw energy as they began to rush at the ninja. The energy quickly spread across their bodies, making it seem that Kamikaze was charging at a bright rainbow. Once the quintet had come to a stop to prepare against the oncoming assault, their helmets materialized across their faces and thus completing their transformation. "You think you can take on the Shinkengers? Seems to me that you want to be a member of this graveyard earlier than expected!"

"It is you who shall occupy this graveyard, ShinkenBlack," Kamikaze attacked the Korean with a lethal slash to his chest, causing sparks fly off of Hwoarang and sending him to the ground clutching where he had been cut. "I shall send you to the afterlife along with your fellow Shinkengers!" Watching the Korean spring back onto his feet, Kamikaze parried his foe's kick with his blade, but was unable to hold back Hwoarang's second and more powerful kick and went spiraling backwards…

…or so the Shinkengers originally thought. As his body went flying through the air, Kamikaze seemingly morphed into a log with a puff of smoke. "A substitution jutsu?" Steve eyed the log with a hint of surprise before joining his comrades in looking around aimlessly. "Stop living in a samarui film, mate! Come out and face us like a true martial art-ACK!" Steve's challenge was stopped in mid-sentence as he was grabbed from behind by Kamikaze while he popped out of his shadow and sent the two of them rocketing into the air. _Oh no, _Steve thought grimly as he and Kamikaze went spiraling to the ground while upside-down. _Not agaaaaaaaaaain!_

Steve landed on his head with a sickening thud while Kamikaze let go of his victim and flipped onto his feet and sank back into the ground. Steve seemed to hang upside-down for a second before his body fell over onto the ground so that he was lying on his back. Asuka and Xiaoyu quickly rushed over to his fallen body. He was wasn't moving at all. Xiaoyu quickly felt for a pulse and let out a sigh of relief: Steve was simply knocked out cold. Quickly undoing the clips of his helmet and removing it, Xiaoyu gave Steve some much needed air as he lay unconscious. "What a bastard," Asuka said out loud as she looked at Steve's still body. Turning her head and assuming a fighting stance, Asuka scanned the graveyard. "Come on, asshole! Stop hiding and fight fair!"

As if in answer to the woman's challenge, a shout pierced the air as the the ninja appeared behind Hwoarang in a puff of smoke and began slashing at his back rapidly with sparks flying in his katana's wake. After the twelfth slash, Hwoarang fell to the ground with his back bleeding: Kamikaze had cut through his suit. "Damn it," he muttered as he drifted into unconsciousness. "I only got one good shot in…that's screwed up…"

"None of the cuts I have given you are fatal, warrior," Kamikaze said coldly as he slowly raised his stained katana as it shone in the sunset sky. "I want you to remember the unique pain that Red Crow inflicts upon its victims…remember it as you die by it!"

Before the final blow could be struck, Jin leapt into action and tackled Kamikaze. The two tumbled like lovers as they struggled against each other while rolling across the grassy area. Finally, Jin successful got onto top of Kamikaze, and began to pummel his face with a triplet of punches, then getting the ninja into an armlock. Before Jin could snap his arm, however, Kamikaze once again sank down into his own shadow and escaped Jin's grasp.

The ninja would not be hiding for long, as a little bit under a second afterwards he emerged from behind Jin and prepared to strike. Jin felt his presence, and quickly turned around just in time to parry Kamikaze's kick with a well-aimed punch. The ninja's red eyes widened in surprise and gave Jin the oppurtunity he needed to kick the ninja away with a forward kick. Quickly running after his foe before he could use a substitution jutsu, Jin grabbed Kamikaze in mid-air and tossed him in the opposite direction.

Regaining his senses, Kamikaze landed on his hands and flipped onto his feet. When he saw Jin running after him, he resumed backflipping away, not stopping as the karateka was hot on his heels. Then, after the eighth flip, he took to the air and pulled out small crimson throwing stars from his pockets and began tossing them at Jin. Although his ShinkenRed suit protected him from being impaled, the stings that rained down upon his was quite painful and caused him to roar in agony.

"Jin, no!"

Xiaoyu and Asuka stopped tending the wounds of the unconscious Steve and Hwoarang and ran towards where Jin was being bombarded from above. However, as they reached him, they too felt the stings of the small throwing stars and began to scream. Kamikaze landed gracefully as Jin fell to his knees, and finally flat onto his face as he stuggled for breath.

Now the only ones left were ShinkenYellow and ShinkenWhite: Xiaoyu and Asuka.

"Would you like to know why I have saved the two of you for last?" Kamikaze slowly removed his two-pronged shuriken from his back as he spoke. "Red Crow and Rusty Wing's original owner was actually a woman: I have not spilled your blood or killed your comrades…because I think their first kill should be that of a woman as well!" Rearing back, Kamikaze sent his ki into the shuriken, causing it to burst in blue fire. "One of you shall and the other shall live: I shall let Rusty Wing decide who!"

With a mighty throw, Kamikaze flung the shuriken at the two young women just as Jin passed out. There was no time to gather their ki for a Tekkenshu Maelstrom, and it was coming way too fast for them to get out of the way. All they could do was stand there..and watch death come at them…

Have it come at them…and be spared from it.

CLANG!

Suddenly, the shuriken went flying back at Kamikaze as it was swatted away by an unknown object. The ninja's surprise was so great that he barely had time to catch his shuriken. "What in the-? Who dares interfere?" Kamikaze looked around as he tried to find the one who stopped Rusty Wing.

"_I_ dare…"

Kamikaze quickly turned around to the direction where Asuka and Xiaoyu were standing, and joined the two in staring in awe at the mysterious figure that was standing between them in an absolutely dazzling combination of silver, maroon, and gold.

The interloper was a little less than six feet in height, with his torso adorned with shimmering golden body armor with two shoulder pads of the same color attached to it. On the body armor a clear diamond that shone as the young man took deep, concentrated breaths, and underneath the diamond was a maroon crest that covered the lower part of his chest area. The rest of the body was covered with a silver body-suit, with two large white zweihander-like wings sprouting from his back. His hips were covered with maroon pieces of samurai armor, and his lower legs were protected with gray kneepads. Around the waist was a black belt, bond together with a golden buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken," and two arm guards of the same color were wrapped around his wrists. The stranger's face, as well as his entire head, was masked with a silver helmet that was perfectly round save for a pair of yellow rings that were clung onto the back half of his head, and a golden v-shaped crest that was just above his black visor.

And on the side of his helmet was the number "0"…just as a number appeared on the helmets of the Shinkengers.

"My apologies, humble ninja," the stranger said in a calm and almost soothing voice as he straightened his body and bowed in respect before lifting his head and pulling a red, flame-shaped katana from a sheath that was latched onto his back. "It seems that your opponents are at a serious disadvantage due to their lack of armaments. Please, as a fellow martial artist, allow me to even the odds with my blade…and my fists."

"Insolent boy," Kamikaze hissed, noticing that the stranger's voice sounded quite young: no older than 18, he guessed. "Just who do you think you are?"

"My name is for my friends," the interloper quickly assumed a fighting stance as the ninja ran towards him with murderous intent, "but you may call me…ShinkenSilver!"


	10. Episode 9: The Sixth Shinkenger

**_Erika: _**Don't let high school get you down. It is said that high school years are going to be the best years of your life...so stop bitching about it and enjoy the ride!

**_Thunder: _**I've been trying to keep in mind what you've been saying about scene changes. I'm glad to know I've been succeeding

**_Wait-for-Sleep_: **The main things that Tommy and Silver have in common are that they are very soft-spoken(or at least Tommy was when he was the Green Ranger and Black Dino Ranger), and they are in love with one of the female, who love them back. In terms of coming from the side of evil and kicking more ass than the others...well, that's for later!

Enjoy!

_--------_

_If you love someone, set them free. If they come back to you, they are yours: if they do not, they never were…_

-Unknown author

---------------

Xiaoyu and Asuka stared in awe at the mysterious winged fighter standing in front of them who had appeared before them not forty seconds before. A few minutes prior, they and the other Shinkengers were attacked by a colorful fiend (the fifth of his kind, they reminded themselves) who went by the name of Kamikaze the Forbidden Ninja. The main problem with facing the ninja sprung from the fact that he didn't fight fair at all: he was armed to the teeth with numerous weapons, and could use different techniques to evade the Shinkengers should they manage to get close to him. Steve was the first to fall, and Hwoarang soon followed. Even Jin, perhaps the mightiest of the team, fell under the bladed arsenal of Kamikaze.

Then he arrived…a fighter clad in silver who stopped a shuriken attack that was meant for the two female Shinkengers and quickly challenged the ninja.

"Who do you think he is?" Xiaoyu whispered as they watched Kamikaze and the mysterious fighter stare at each other quietly.

"I don't know," Asuka smiled as she replied in the same quiet tone of voice, "but he looks kinda hot…I wonder what his voice sounds like…"

As if to put Asuka's questions to rest, the winged fighter straightened himself and bowed in respect to Kamikaze, "My apologies, humble ninja," the stranger said in a calm and youthful voice as he lifted his head and pulled out a red, flame-shaped katana from a sheath that was latched onto his back. "It seems that your opponents are at a serious disadvantage due to their lack of armaments. Please, as a fellow martial artist, allow me to even the odds with my blade…and my fists."

_That voice, _Asuka thought to herself in surprise, _I know that voice!_

"Insolent boy," Kamikaze hissed, "Just who do you think you are?"

"My name is for my friends," the interloper quickly assumed a fighting stance as the ninja ran towards him with murderous intent, "but you may call me…ShinkenSilver!"

-------

Once Kamikaze was within five meters of ShinkenSilver, he pulled his katana Red Crow from its hilt and readied it to slice off the young man's head. However, instead of blocking the slash with the sword, his free hand shot out and his foot stomped on the ground as he sent Kamikaze flying backwards with a powerful straight punch. Kamikaze landed on his feet, and maintained his grip on Red Crow. Sinking into his shadow, the ninja reappeared behind ShinkenSilver and once again attempted a killing slash. The young man quickly turned around and blocked the cut with his sword.

"What a sloppy parry," Kamikaze commented as he kicked Shinkensilver away. "Now I know why you decided to punch rather than slash: you are still a novice."

"…I will not make excuses: this is actually my first true sword battle, for you see, I am fist-fighter first," ShinkenSilver replied solemnly while attacking Kamikaze with a forward stab that was swatted away, giving him barely enough time to guard a vertical counterattack. "However, I have practiced long and hard: do not underestimate me."

Ducking under a horizontal slash, ShinkenSilver pulled off the first successful slash with a lethal upwards cut that drew a shower of sparks in its wake. Kamikaze roared in agony as he gripped where he had been slashed, barely mustering up the strength to keep hold of his katana and sink back into the shadows away from another cut. This time he reappeared a good fifteen meters away from his opponent so that he could catch his breath. He examined the wound as his healing factor kicked in and began sealing it: it was quite a deep cut. "Hmph…so you want me to take you seriously, eh?" the ninja said with a tone of amusement as he jumped high into the air. "Very well, boy: I shall hold nothing back!"

Watching the ninja take to the sky, ShinkenSilver put away his sword and crouched down as if he was preparing to leap after him. With his wings glowing a bright blue color, ShinkenSilver propelled himself off the ground and soared into the air in hot pursuit of the ninja. Pulling out red throwing stars from his pocket, Kamikaze flung them at his young adversary with rapid speed. Putting his arms in front of him in a blocking formation, ShinkenSilver winced in pain beneath in helmet as he endured the barrage of sharp objects raining down upon him, eventually going above the ninja and putting his foot into his chest. Letting gravity do the work for him, he left the foot planted his chest while they went plummeting down and landing with a loud thud in a devastating aerial diving kick.

Quickly jumping away and landing gracefully, ShinkenSilver assumed an unarmed fighting stance and waited for Kamikaze to get back up…but for some reason, he remained where he was: lying perfectly still with his face staring blankly upwards. He began to warily move closer when he heard the sound of footsteps. Quickly darting around, he saw Asuka and Xiaoyu running towards him.

"Not bad at all, old buddy," Asuka gave the winged fighter a quick pat on the back as she approached him. "I had my doubts at first, but you owned that dirty rat's soul! I see training with Yoshimitsu-san has paid off!"

"Oh, so this is Kenichi," Xiaoyu tilted her head in curiosity as she examined his toned body. "I saw you fight in the quarterfinals. You've gotten a lot better!"

"Stay sharp, you two," Kenichi said with a serious tone that seemed almost uncommon for his age. "Asuka, do you honestly think I could take that guy down with only a simple cut and my mother's Falling Angel kick? Take a look at where he landed."

Following the direction of Kenichi's gaze, Asuka and Xiaoyu looked to the shallow crater that Kamikaze's body had created...but what they saw was not the ninja, but a long with kanji written upon it. Kamikaze was still at large, and biding his time. "Hey Asuka," Kenichi whispered quietly to his longtime friend, "I need you and your friend to make sure that he doesn't go attacking the others while they're down. I'll try to keep him busy until they come to."

"What? No way, Kenichi," Asuka protested as she stood by his side. "There's no way I'm going to let you take on this psycho all by yourself! Your mother would never forgive me if you died here; heck, I wouldn't be able to forgive me if-"

"I said get back," Kenichi raised his voice (which was something that Asuka had only seen him do on incredibly rare occasions) as he shoved her behind him. "I am not trying to make you some kind of damsel for me to save, but it is just as you said: this guy is bad news. He's already said that he wants to kill all of you: do you think I could bear the thought of losing-"

Suddenly, Asuka grabbed Kenichi's shoulder and punched him in the face. Even though his helmet blunted the attack, Kenichi felt it even through his armor. "Kenichi, I know that you've always been the kind of guy to go at these things solo, but this our fight, too!" Suddenly turning to Xiaoyu, Asuka barked out her own command. "Xiao, keep an eye on the others! Kenichi and I are going spend some quality time together mashing this ninja guy's face!"

Xiaoyu quickly nodded as she ran over to where their comrades lay unconscious while Asuka once again stood next to Kenichi. Beneath his silver helmet, the young man smiled. "It's good to know that you haven't changed too much since I left." Kenichi nodded as the two of them spotted Kamikaze oozing out of a nearby shadow with his sword Red Crow drawn and ready. "You win, Asuka…we'll do it as we always do: together."

"…trouble in paradise, silver warrior?" Kamikaze said mockingly as he readied his sword and charged. "Do not worry: your relationship with the maiden in white shall end with your demise as I serve your blood as a wine to my lord!"

"Excuse me, buddy," Asuka quickly ducked down and grabbed the ninja's leg before tossing him over her shoulder and high into the air with a vacuum throw. "I may still be new to this whole girlfriend schtick, but what's with all this 'maiden in white' stuff?"

"A maiden is another term for a virgin, Asuka," Kenichi said casually as he propelled Kamikaze higher into the air with a vertical straight punch. "So unless you have been fooling around with other men these past two-"

"Stop babbling and die," Kamikaze righted himself in mid-air and landed feet-first on Asuka's head with a stomp that had her fall flat on her face. Propelling himself off her head, Kamikaze hit Kenichi with a snapping jump kick on his way down, but sent the young man skywards from the force of such a blow. Jumping up after him, Kamikaze's katana flashed as it slashed at Kenichi while sparks flew from the youth's suit. After the fourth slash, Kamikaze grabbed onto Kenichi and the two went spiraling downwards in a lethal Izuna Drop. However, Kenichi's wings began to glow and he propelled himself out of Kamikaze's grip, leaving the ninja to fall flat on his face while he landed next to Asuka.

Not willing to give Kamikaze a chance to get back on the offensive, Kenichi and Asuka ran at the ninja simultaneously, and then took a forward leap to send the ninja spiraling backwards just as he got up with a pair of simultaneously executed clockwise right roundhouse kicks. Kamikaze landed on his feet and rubbed where he had been hit. Pulling out his shuriken Rusty Wing, he ignited the weapon and tossed it at the two Osaka-raised martial artists, taking a sick pleasure at watching them writhe while it ricocheted off their bodies numerous times in a shower of sparks before returning to its owner.

However, Asuka and Kenichi did not fall down. Even though they clutched where they had been hit with Rusty Wing, they continued to come at Kamikaze with a full run. _What is this? Why do they not fall under my blades? _The ninja's eyes widened as a pair of fists came crashing into his face. _It appears this sixth Shinkenger has tipped the odds: I must resort to drastic measures! _Sinking into the shadows as he landed, Kamikaze faded from view and once again left Kenichi and Asuka looking around warily as they waited for him to reappear again.

"Asuka, he's over here!"

Asuka and Kenichi quickly darted around and saw Xiaoyu and Kamikaze, with the latter's katana touching the neck of the former. "Are you using me as a hostage?" Xiaoyu asked rhetorically as she struggled to break free. "You have absolutely no honor!"

"Ninjas and honor have never been on good terms, lovely one," Kamikaze replied in his sinister wispy voice before turning to his two adversaries. "I suppose you know what is going to happen now: this is the part where you surrender…unless you want this fine yellow-clad maiden's death on your conscience."

Asuka and Kenichi looked at each for a few moments, and then nodded in agreement as they put their arms up in surrender and slowly began towards Kamikaze. "That's what I want to see," Kamikaze said, sounding pleased with himself. "But you forget…my mission was to kill you: do you honestly think I would let any of you get out alive?" However, before Kamikaze could slit Xiaoyu's throat, he felt a tapping on his shoulder. Turning his head, his eyes widened in surprise as three gloved fists approached his face before they made contact, causing the ninja to drop his sword and fly far into the air, soaring past Kenichi and Asuka.

Xiaoyu turned around and let out a sigh of relief as she got a glimpse of her saviors: Steve, Hwoarang, and Jin. While Asuka and Kenichi kept Kamikaze busy, the three male Shinkengers regained consciousness one by one as they witnessed the battle that played out before them. When Kamikaze had finally stopped moving and gotten close enough to them, they silently put their heads together and got the drop on the ninja. With Xiaoyu shortly trailing behind, the other Shinkengers ran over to where Kenichi and Asuka were standing.

"Well…whoever you are, I guess we owe our thanks," Jin nodded to Kenichi before turning to face Kamikaze. "Before we introduce ourselves properly though…how about we finish this guy off?" Kenichi returned the nod with one of his own and followed Jin's gaze to see Kamikaze struggling back up. "Excellent…OK, everyone: let's do this!"

"What? No way," Hwoarang stepped up and shook his head. "If I'm going to have to humiliate myself with our little gig, then the rookie here has to do it, too!" Turning to Kenichi, Hwoarang pointed at the young man. "OK, rookie, if you want to be in our little gang, then you have to humiliate yourself just like I had to when I first did it!"

"…what are you talking about?" Kenichi said with a hint of confusion.

"You'll understand when you see it. After Jin finishes, you can have your turn," Asuka gave Kenichi a pat on the back as she turned to Hwoarang. "Shall we get started?"

"**ONE**," Sticking his left index finger high into the air, Hwoarang fired off a roundhouse kick into the air before entering his Flamingo Stance. "Striking down foes with fatal footwork…Tae Kwan Do-estilo: ShinkenBlack!"

"**TWO**," Her left index and middle fingers pointing skyward, Asuka went into her defensive stance. "Overcoming foes with daunting defense...Aikido-estilo: ShinkenWhite!"

"**THREE**," Steve stuck up three fingers in the air and then brought then down to get into his trademark Flicker stance. "Beating down foes with peerless punches…Boxing-estilo: ShinkenBlue!"

"**FOUR**," With all her fingers on her left hand up in the air save for her thumb, Xiaoyu brought the hand back down and went into her Phoenix Stance. "Overwhelming foes with blinding speed…Kung Fu-estilo! ShinkenYellow!"

"**FIVE**," His open palm shooting into the sky, Jin went into his Power Stance. "Smashing foes with the fists of fury…Karate-estilo! ShinkenRed!"

"**ZERO," **Kenichi shot out his closed fist in the air and then stomped his foot on the ground as he got into a horse stance. "Cutting down foes with my undying soul…Dazzling Warrior of the Void: ShinkenSilver!"

Once the rest of his team got out of their respective stances, Jin spoke once again while pointing a finger at their adversary, who was watching on in confusion and awe. "Under the power of our divine fists, chaos shall never thrive!"

With the setting sun shining upon them almost symbolically, the once-dreary graveyards seemed to once again have life settle upon it as the team struck a dynamic pose and their ki crackled across their bodies while the jewels on their chest flashed violently before they shouted out their mighty name. "**TEKKENSHU SENTAI…SHINKENGER!"**

"Six against one…and I am the one who does not fight fair?" Kamikaze's voice gave way to a hint of rage as he pulled out Rusty Wing from his back. "Very well…I shall slay you all at once!" Igniting his shuriken with a dark blue flame, Kamikaze hurled the weapon at the sextet. "Fly, my Rusty Wing!"

However, utilizing his near-flawless reflexes, Jin stepped up and caught the shuriken without sustaining any damage. This time, however, he ignited the shuriken with his own ki and caused Rusty Wing to glow bright red. Then, after spinning his body around to gain momentum, Jin used all of his mighty strength to toss Rusty Wing right back to his owner. Kamikaze, completely taken off guard by the fact that his own weapon was being used against him, was helpless as it crashed into him with a huge shower of sparks. Clutching his chest in a vain attempt to try and ease the blinding pain, Kamikaze looked up to see the six Shinkengers come at him at a full run, with ShinkenBlue in the lead.

Pulling out a black kunai, Kamikaze attempted to slit Steve's throat as he came at him. However, Kamikaze's reflexes had been slowly significantly by the brutal attack he had just taken: Steve ducked under Kamikaze and began to pummel him with a blinding fury of punches. The fists pounded his abdomen at such a speed that Kamikaze couldn't even move away from them: all he could do was endure the pain until Steve finally slowed down. Seeing his chance at last, Kamikaze once again raised his kunai, but was sent flying backwards with Steve's powerful uppercut that sent him flying towards Hwoarang.

Hwoarang caught Kamikaze with his foot and started to juggle the ninja in the air like a child with juggle a soccer ball by bouncing him off his knees. After he became bored, Hwoarang used his knee to launch Kamikaze straight up into the air and jumped up after him to kick the ninja in Xiaoyu's direction.

Already prepared for the monster, the Chinese woman shot out both her palms simultaneously and sent Kamikaze flying towards Asuka, who then sent it towards Jin with a jumping roundhouse kick…

…right into Jin, who had been crackling with his red ki while rearing back for his ultimate technique, the Eighth Gate of Hell. Letting loose a devastating punch, Jin hit his mark right into Kamikaze's chest and finally sending him flying twenty meters in the air and screeching across the ground.

"Hmm," Asuka stroked her chin as she watch Kamikaze land, "this is normally his cue to explode in a big ball of fire…then again, he seems tougher than the others…I guess it just takes some extra oomph." Turning to Kenichi, Asuka pointed at him and then pointed to Kamikaze. "Hey dreamboat, he's all yours!" Kenichi nodded in acknowledgement and pulled out his katana as he began walking.

"D-damn you all," Kamikaze slowly got back up and saw that Kenichi was slowing walking towards him. "You…if not for you, victory would have been mine!" Readying his two kunai once again, Kamikaze began running towards Kenichi as the boy stopped walking and got into a ready position. "I shall rip out your heart, and relish the moment as I listen to the maiden in white's cries of mourning!"

Kenichi lifted his sword high into the air and slowly began moving it clockwise as he began the blade's incantation. After completing the revolution, the orange-red blade started to glow a bright green while Kenichi got into a fighting stance. Using his wings to propel himself forwards, Kenichi rapidly approached Kamikaze until the two of them were bound to crash into each other. Running his blade through the ninja with a lethal horizontal slash as he passed by, Kenichi's feet screeched to a halt as he put away his sword and turned around to the dying Kamikaze, who was standing perfectly still like he was frozen in place. Placing his left index figure and middle finger together, Kenichi put them in front of his face and said a quick prayer before watching his enemy perish. "Arukyo…tai san!"

_**Author's Note: this translates to "Evil Spirit…Begone!"**_

Small explosions of sparks riddled the ninja's body as he roared in pain and agony. "...my lord," the ninja said with almost a hint of sorrow as he fell to his knees while his wounds spewed forth sparks. "Forgive me for not completing my mission…" Falling flat upon his face after releasing one final deathcry, Kamikaze exploded in a plume of blue and red fire.

Kenichi straightened his body and bowed slightly to the burning spot that was once his adversary before turning around and walking towards the other Shinkengers. Undoing the clips of his helmet, Kenichi removed it and revealed his face. He was a Japanese young man with ruffled brown hair and Prussian blue eyes (as well as a youthful face that earned him a good deal of fangirls when he competed in the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament). "Now that the battle is over," Kenichi outstretched his hand towards Jin, "my name is Kenichi Masamune: I'm an old friend of Asuka's. My current sensei Yoshimitsu has been training me for the past two weeks, until he said that he had to do something alone…at which point he gave me my device that we all seem to share and told me to meet up with you."

_Hmm…so Yoshimitsu had one of them too, _Jin thought to himself through a smile as he removed his helmet and returned the handshake,_ I wonder how he connects to my mother and Baek and Lei having them. _"My name is Jin Kazama, and this is Hwoarang…" Jin motioned to Hwoarang, who simply nodded once, "…and this is Steve…," and then motioned to Steve, who gave a quick two-fingered salute. "…and I see you already know Xiaoyu and Asuka." Jin and Kenichi tightened their grip on each other as Jin concluded the introduction and said, "Welcome to the team, ShinkenSilver!"


	11. Episode 10: Sins of the Father

_Once upon a time, shortly before the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, I ran into a 24-year-old street fighter with a fetish for knives while sitting at a pub in Kyoto. He recognized me as a warrior, and asked me what my name was. I told him it was none of his concern, but this brash young man was persistent. After a minute or two, I told him that if he could last ten seconds with me in a fight, I would tell him my name._

_He lasted three minutes._

_As per our agreement, I told him my name, and then I decided to make another wager with him: if I became head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, he would have to join my personal guard. Most other fools would think that being able to topple Heihachi at that time was preposterous, but he responded with, "you might as well hire me now then." Thus, after I emerged victorious in the King of Iron Fist tournament, the street fighter became one of my most trusted aides, and he traded his knives in for swords. It was fitting, to say the least: he claimed that he could trace his ancestry back to the historic samurai Masamune Date._

_The man's name was Takeshi Masamune, the last remaining member of my circle from the Zaibatsu that remained loyal to me even after my demise. After G-Corporation breathed life back into my charred body, the first man I called would be Masamune, and he told me that everyone else in my circle had either joined with Heihachi or had gone their separate ways. Seeing that he was the only one who knew of my revival, I told him to keep it a secret until my return to glory was at hand._

_During that time, he married one Miki Namikawa, a voluptuous female street fighter who hailed from Tokyo, and she bore him a son…and this son's name was Kenichi Masamune. As luck would have it, Kenichi would find himself meddling in my affairs eighteen years after his birth as ShinkenSilver._

_A sixth Shinkenger…even though I had a feeling that the first five Shinkengers wouldn't be the last, I was still surprised to hear that the only reason Kamikaze had been defeated was due to a shifting in power with young Kenichi's arrival. Now I had to deal with yet another costumed cretin. Before I did that however, I would have to gauge the power of ShinkenSilver so that I could update my battle strategy…_

_-------_

The Shinkengers' trip to Kyoto had been, to say the least, quite productive. Jin's investigation of Geneset had yielded some interesting results: one of Geneset's major partners was G-Corporation, the genetics organization was not only responsible for the revival of his loathsome father, but his beloved mother as well(although in her case, she was stripped of nearly all her memories and turned into an emotionless doll.)

However, when the Jin inquired to the Geneset president about G-Corporation, he became uncomfortably silent. It was apparent that he either didn't know about G-Corporation's war with the Mishima Zaibatsu, or he was simply afraid to mention them. Fortunately for Jin, he was confronted by another employee on the way out who wasn't frightened of their partner's wrath. She told the youthful karateka that there was someone in Tokyo who could tell them what they wanted to know, provided that they do it in private.

Once the Shinkengers returned to Tokyo, along with their newfound ally Kenichi Masamune, Jin arranged for the anonymous informant to meet with the latest addition of their team. Out of all of them, Kenichi seemed to have the most level head: he should have had no problem getting the informant to tell him what they wanted.

_Although he could have just as easily sent Xiaoyu, _Kenichi thought to himself as he arrived at the door of the place where he would meet the informant. _Then again, I doubt he would allow her to be in this part of town._ Kenichi was wearing a gray tuxedo over a white knit shirt and a pair of gray dress pants: an appearance that fit this part of Tokyo, with the exception of the gold mouse-sized device with the two kanji "Tekken" written in silver that was strapped to his left wrist. Knocking on the door, Kenichi waited until a small slit in the middle of the door opened to reveal a pair of scowling eyes. The owner of the eyes asked a question in a rather unfriendly tone of voice, "What's the password, kid?"

"'JAKQ'," Kenichi answered. Immediately after he responded, the slit in the door closed and was followed by a few clicks. After a couple of seconds, the door opened to reveal a large, muscular man dressed in a tuxedo and a pair of shades. After giving the man a quick nod in thanks, Kenichi casually walked into the exclusive club known as "the Pit."

"The Pit" was a notorious dance club that was available only to the social elite. Even though the law had designated it as an illegal clubhouse, the many crime families of the Yakuza made sure the police never muscled their way into the club, lest their own families would be forfeit. When the dance stage was used as one of the locations for the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament three weeks prior, Jin had hoped to turn the questionable club into something much more legit.

However, as Kenichi looked around the dance floor, he saw that it was still a long way from "family-friendly." As he came in, he was confronted by an obviously drunk woman in a red dress whose breast size couldn't possibly be natural, asking him if he was looking for a "good time." _What a disturbing place, _the young man thought to himself as he shook the woman off. _I'm glad that I didn't have any fights in this whore house…_

"Hey, pretty boy!"

Kenichi slowly turned around and raised his eyebrow at the man in a red business suit getting up out of his seat and lifting up his bottle of alcohol. "What do you think you're doin', messing with my girl just now?"

"…you are mistaken," Kenichi replied with his usual calm demeanor as he turned back around to find his informant. Before he could continue on his way, though, the sound of shattering glass rang through his ears, followed by rapid footsteps approaching him fast. The youth turned around again to bend backwards slightly to avoid a forward stab with the red-suited man's jagged weapon. Grabbing the man's arm as it whizzed passed him, Kenichi tossed his attacker over his shoulder and then punched him in his chest with a downwards blow. The man dropped the weapon and gripped his chest in pain. "A word of advice, sir," Kenichi bowed slightly before stepping onto the dance floor to cross over to the other side of the club, "do not run with sharp objects."

However, the attacker was not about to let Kenichi off the hook so easily. After the youth let him get back up, he put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. Suddenly, the dance music that was playing in the club stopped and everyone cleared the stage while numerous Japanese men walked onto it brandishing metallic knuckles. "So you think you can be a wise guy, eh kid?" The man in the red tuxedo chuckled a bit as Kenichi looked around the dance floor. "Maybe you won't be so tough after my friends mess up your pretty face!"

Kenichi shook his head a little bit after counting the number of men approaching him. _Five against one,_ he thought to himself as he got his arms into an "x" formation before assuming his fighting stance. _It shouldn't be too much of a problem. Battles like these are what my martial art excels at…_

However, before he could engage in combat, one of the men held up his hand and told his comrades to lower their weapons. "Hey boss," the man walked past Kenichi and to the man in the red tuxedo. "I don't mean to make waves, but I know that fighting stance anywhere. That's the Namikawa-ryu stance, and we respect it here in 'the Pit.'" After he said that, his younger comrades put away their weapons and went back to whatever it was they were doing.

…_what was that all about? _Kenichi asked himself as he continued on his way through the stage to reach the other side of the club. _Has my appearance in the previous tournament_ _made that much of a mark? _Looking around the club, he spotted something walking towards him: he was a muscular African-American man with a black goatee and mohawk with dreadlocks coming from the back of his head. He was wearing a lavender muscle shirt with a bull head on the back, and a pair of black jeans. _That's Bruce Irvin, the Muay Thai guy from the tournament, _Kenichi thought to himself as he stayed where he was and resumed his fighting stance, _what does he want?_

"Easy, kid: I'm not here to fight you," Bruce held up his hand and stretched it towards Kenichi. "I'm Bruce Irvin: I'm the anonymous informant."

"…not so anonymous anymore, I see; my name is Kenichi Masamune," Kenichi shook the man's hand and walked over to a table. "Pardon my rudeness, but I do not wish to be here any longer than I have to be. However, I am curious as to how you would know about G-Corporation."

"Heh…I see there's no beating around the bush with you is there?" Bruce chuckled as he took a seat at the table Kenichi had just sat down at. "You probably don't know this, but I used to be a mercenary: I may be out of the field now, but I always keep in the loop about job offers in case I need something to keep me occupied. It seems that G-Corporation has their eyes on hiring some muscle for the coming war with the Mishima Zaibatsu…and with these new power players that have been roaming around the city."

"'New power players?'" Kenichi repeated with curiosity. "Are you referring to the Shinkenger?"

"Nah, I'm talking about those guys in rubber suits who follow around that ax-wielding maniac who trashed the Marunouchi building: they seem to have it out for G-Corporation by taking out their subsidiaries. In fact, most of the people who were attacked at the airport raid either worked for or had strong ties with G-Corp."

'_Guys in rubber suits'…he must be talking about those monsters that Asuka told me about, like that ninja in Kyoto, _Kenichi rubbed his chin as he pondered what Bruce had said, _so our enemy is also G-Corporation's enemy? I have no love for Sorel's little organization either, but who else would want G-Corporation gone aside from the Zaibatsu and Yoshi-sensei? _"...thank you very much, Irwin-san," Kenichi bowed his head in thanks as he prepared to get out of his seat. "I'll be sure to tell Jin what you've told me."

"Before you go, son, I've got a question for you," Bruce stopped Kenichi by grabbing his hand before he could get out of his seat. The Japanese youth stayed where he was as Bruce let go of his hand and asked, "Is your sensei by any chance Miki Namikawa? That's pretty much the only person I could think of who has that fighting stance…"

"…as a matter of fact, she happens to be my mom. How is it that you know of her?"

"Ah, so Takeshi tied the knot with her, after all," Bruce nodded his head a little bit as he answered Kenichi's question, "I used to work with your father: we used to come here all the time back when this place was a fight club. Your mom used to frequent this place, too…"

Kenichi turned around and looked at the woman across the club who made a pass on him earlier. _My mother used to be part of this crowd? What sort of family do I come from, anyway?_

Bruce let out a loud, hearty laugh as he saw the look in Kenichi's face after his question was answered. "Don't worry, kid, she didn't do THAT kind of work around here: she was a fighter herself, and a damned good one at that. Your dad took a real liking to her…didn't expect him to get the nerves to pop the question to her, though…"

"Hmph…so my father met my mother in a night club," Kenichi shook his head in disgust as the revelation struck him. "How very unromantic…"

Bruce paused for a moment, and then continued speaking even though he knew Kenichi had heard enough. "Listen kid, here's a piece of advice: you can't let the sins of the father get to you. You're your own man, and nothing can take that away."

"…that seems a little out of the blue," Kenichi raised an eyebrow after listening to Bruce give a seemingly random (but eerily appropriate) piece of advice. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You just have that look in your eye, plus I heard about your scuffle with Raven in the last tournament." Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter, which he used to light up the cigarette in his hand. "Your dad was a good man who was with the wrong crowd, that's all. We all make bad decisions in life, and sometimes they can get us killed. Is that really worth hating someone over?"

"…he was part of a major weapons trafficking ring: I do believe that's good enough reason to be resentful," the Japanese youth retorted with a hint of guilt as lowered his head slightly. Even though his father was the only one in his family at fault, the shame that his family received the week of his death would never be truly erased. "Don't worry about me though: one day, I'll find it in my heart to forgive him…"

---------

_Ugh, I'm finally out of that horrible place, _Kenichi thought to himself as he gratefully left the uncomfortable club known as "the Pit." He rarely wore his tuxedo, but when he did, he treated it as if it were priceless silk. Thanks to the "activities" that were rampant within the club, his clothes had acquired an unpleasant odor that Kenichi could only describe as "sexually explicit." _Asuka-chan is going to kill me…_

_At the very least though, I had an interesting conversation with Irvin-san, _the Japanese bishonen put his hands in his pockets as he began walking towards where the car that Jin loaned him was parked. _Yoshi-sensei has been telling me the exact same thing that Irvin-san told me: maybe after all of this has blown over, I can bring flowers to my father's grave like I was supposed to while I was in Kyoto two days ago-hm?_

Kenichi stopped walking as he suddenly felt like he was being followed. The young man closed his eyes and listened carefully to his surroundings with the hopes of pinpointing where his stalker was. After a few seconds, Kenichi heard a soft whistling coming from the air. However, the whistling grew increasing louder, and the tone of the whistling became proportionately lower. After another second, the boy realized that something was plummeting down towards him. He barely had enough time to jump away from the object that fell from the sky and landed where Kenichi was originally standing with a loud slam. _What on Earth is THAT thing?_

"Ah've been wonderin' when you'd get out that whorehouse, pilgrim," a voice called to the boy through the large dust cloud that was created when the object fell. When the dust settled, Kenichi saw that what fell from the sky was not just any object: it was alive. The creature's body was dark gray in color and over seven feet in height, with such a ridiculously muscular build that it put even Jin's to shame. His underarms were lined with features, making it seem like that his arms were actually wings, with the exception of his large humanoid pink hands. Even more peculiar about the creature was that he was wearing nothing but a black thong with a giant golden "V" written on it. His feet were clawed blue talons, and his head was pink and resembled that of a vulture. "Ah'm Scrapnel, the Vale Tudo Vulture, and mah boss has told me to kill ya!"

_What an interesting creature: he looks a little bit like a sports mascot. He's nothing like Kamikaze-san, _Kenichi mused to himself as he bowed his head politely before assuming a fighting stance. "I'm assuming that you work for the enemy. Very well…I accept your challenge." Kenichi's morpher crackled with power while his dark red ki swirled across his body, which soon began to lose its pigment until it became pure white light. The light consumed his body as Scrapnel assumed his own fighting stance while watching Kenichi in amusement, and when the light faded, his winged ShinkenSilver suit had formed across his body. Once his helmet had finished materialized over his head, Kenichi outstretched his hand and motioned Scrapnel towards him. "Ikuzo, hagetaka."

**Author's note: "Let's go, vulture."**

"Here ah come, pilgrim," Scrapnel jumped up and down and flapped his wings before making a violent dash towards Kenichi with such speed that the Japanese youth didn't have time to avoid getting tackled by the gargantuan fowl. Scrapnel mounted the boy and began to punch him in the face with wide-arced blows. After the fourth blow crashed down upon his abdomen, Kenichi struggled free and scrambled away to catch his breath.

Kenichi quickly resumed his fighting stance as Scrapnel got back onto his talons and ran towards him again. No longer surprised by the vulture's speed, Kenichi jumped over Scrapnel as if they were children playing leapfrog. Taking advantage of Scrapnel's surprise, Kenichi struck the fowl in the temple with a powerful horizontal hand chop, his ki streaking across his hand as he made contact. The vulture squawked as he backed away and rubbed where he had been hit. "You little varmint," he yelled as he shook his fist at the boy. "I'll git you for that!"

Scrapnel began to make a gurgling sound while his neck began to inflate and deflate up and down. Kenichi raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet as he tilted his head in curiosity. _What in the world is doing? I've only hit him once so far, so I doubt he's tiring already, _Kenichi thought as his opponent clutched his stomach. Suddenly, the vulture's breathing became loud wheezes, and Kenichi realized what he was doing. _Wait a second: when vultures want to mark their terrority, they do so by-_

"BLECCCCCH!"

After one last heave, Scrapnel vomited from his beak a disgusting light-gray colored substance that soaked Kenichi's suit. The young man groaned as he inspected the vomit and tried to shake if off his hands while spraying sprinkles of the substance to his surroundings as he did so. "That is disgusting," Kenichi commented as Scrapnel cleared his throat and resumed his fighting stance. "How would you like it if I vomited on you?" Kenichi was about to step out of the puddle when he noticed that his feet seemed stuck, almost as if it was glued to the ground. Using all of his mighty strength, Kenichi pried his left foot off the ground and took a step, only for that foot to be stuck once again.

"My boss told me about yer speed boost, pilgrim," Scrapnel ran up to Kenichi and sent the boy flying with a powerful headbutt, "so before we got this party in full swing, ah decided to slow ya down enough for me to keep up!" Running after the boy, the vulture grabbed Kenichi in mid-air and began to spin him around wildly. After the fifth revolution, the Japanese youth was tossed into a nearby mailbox.

Kenichi landed on his back and grunted in pain while he struggled to get back up. Unfortunately, Scrapnel's vomit was proving far more adhesive than he had hoped. He couldn't even regain his footing properly as he pried himself off the ground and stood back up. The young man saw the vulture coming, and reared back his fist in preparation for a counterattack. Once Scrapnel was in range, Kenichi sent the fowl sprawling backwards with a forward punch. _That was just a lucky shot, _Kenichi thought worriedly. _I doubt he'll fall for it again. I need to get free somehow…_

To Kenichi's dismay, Scrapnel righted himself in midair by flapping his wings and landed gracefully. Once he had regained proper footing, Scrapnel granted Kenichi's wish and yanked him free from his vomit, and then slammed him back on the ground with a devastating one-handed power bomb. Kenichi tried to roll out of the way, but the puddle of vomit under him kept him lying on his back. "The boss told me you'd be better than this boy," Scrapnel taunted as he stomped on Kenichi's chest with his talons before going down and flinging him high in the air. "Give me some kind of ruckus!"

As if to answer Scrapnel's challenge, Kenichi righted himself in midair using the power of his wings, and then swooped down to crash into the vulture's chest with a powerful diving kick. With his foot now stuck on Scrapnel, Kenichi landed with his leg outstretched and then pulled it back as hard as he could, with the vomit stretching like a rubber band as Scrapnel tried to pull himself loose. Finally, elasticity got the best of the vulture and he went running right into the heel of Kenichi's boot like he was a yo-yo coming back to the finger of his owner. Not wanting to fall victim to that tactic a second time, Scrapnel used his beak to bite off the long thread of mucus connecting his chest to Kenichi's foot, inadvertently freeing the boy's foot from its adhesiveness.

"Now that was both disgusting and uncalled for, boy," The vulture jumped up and down in rage as it began running to the boy whose other foot was still glued to the ground. However, one foot was all Kenichi needed. Waiting for Scrapnel to come into range, Kenichi bombarded Scrapnel with a quintet of left-handed punches, and concluded by sending the vulture spiraling away with a high-striking roundhouse kick with his free right leg.

The Vale Tudo vulture once again righted himself in midair with the aid of his gray wings, and ran back to hit Kenichi with a devastating elbow to the face. Once he did that, Scrapnel reared back his fist white raising his knee, and then lunged forward with lifted talon shooting backwards like a horse and his fist pounding Kenichi's abdomen so hard that the boy lost his balance and fell on his back, freeing his other foot from the adhesive…

…and this was just what Kenichi had been waiting for. Now free from the sticky vomit that was gluing his feet to the ground, Kenichi flipped back onto his feet and kicked Scrapnel away with a high leg thrust that sent the monster screeching across the ground. Not giving him a chance to recover, Kenichi used his impressive leaping ability to pounce on Scrapnel and hit him in the stomach with a flying hand chop. Scrapnel rolled away and clutched his chest where had been stuck, only to have his hand get stuck to his chest as it was still covered in his own vomit. "Well, I be molested in a schoolyard," The vulture chuckled to himself as he ripped his arm off the smear of vomit. "You outsmarted me, pilgrim. But that don't mean I'm gonna let you live!"

Suddenly, Kenichi reached behind him and pulled out his flame-shaped katana from the sheath across his back. "My apologies, hagetaka," he said solemnly as he got his sword into a ready position. "If I let you live, you will certainly attack my friends, and I cannot allow harm to come to them." Kenichi lowered his head slightly as he slowly walked towards the vulture. "I'm sorry…but I have to strike down: forgive me, worthy opponent."

"HAHAH!" the vulture let out a laugh as a spiked purple club materialized in his hand with a puff of smoke. "I wanna see you try, pilgrim!" Pouding his chest once (but making sure he didn't touch the part covered with his vomit), Scrapnel brandished his weapon and ran towards Kenichi wildly. As he did so, Kenichi rotated his katana slowly rotated his sword clockwise, which glowed a bright green once he completed the revolution. His wings proceeded to glow a bright blue, and then Kenichi suddenly burst forth with a rush of speed as he dashed towards Scrapnel with his wings accelerating him. The two fighters passed each other, with their weapons hitting their opponent in the abdomen with a spray of sparks.

The two combatants screeched to a halt and seemed to stand frozen in time for a few seconds. Then, Kenichi put away his sword and gripped where he had been struck with one hand while putting his other hand's index and middle fingers together and holding it in front of his face and saying, "Arukyo…tai san!"

Small explosions of sparks riddled the vulture's body as he squawked in pain and agony. "Dagnamnit," Scrapnel said he dropped his club while sparks spewed forth from his abdomen. "I can't believe my feathers were plucked by a kid!" Falling flat upon his face after releasing one final deathcry, Scrapnel exploded in a fiery plume of smoke…leaving only a small metal object that hit Kenichi as he perished.

Kenichi turned around and looked down to see the object. Warily picking it up, Kenichi inspected the object carefully. _What is this…looks like some kind of speaker…_

"Hmph…I didn't expect him to defeat you, and he didn't really surprise me."

Kenichi jumped slightly upon hearing the coin-sized device utter words. Once he realized that what he was holding in his hand was a miniature radio, Kenichi pressed a small button on it and said, "Who are you?"

"…I am the one who created the creature have just defeated, of course," the voice said with its voice garbled by what Kenichi guessed to be a sound distortion device. "It's remarkable just how much of your father you have in you…"

"My…father…" Kenichi repeated the words in bewilderment. Apparently, their enemy had ties with his father. _Just how many of my father's friends were fiends? _"What would you know about my father?"

"I knew that he was someone who would strike someone down with no remorse if he felt they would be a threat to him or his allies later on," the voice laughed with an eerie distorted chortle before continuing. "You are just like him, Masamune…and I look forward to seeing how you and your friends will progress in the near future…" After a couple of seconds of silence, the radio fizzled out with a spark and died.

Kenichi was silent for a few seconds after the radio short-circuited, and then used his wings to take flight and start heading home. _…you are wrong, _the boy thought to the mysterious voice's words. _I am nothing like my father…because I am my own man…and nothing, not even being related by blood, can change that!_


	12. Episode 11: Monochrome Mixup

**Thunder: **Actually, Kenichi is quite sure about his parents. He's very close to his mother(who is alive and well), but he still has yet to forgive his late father.

Mad props to DigitalCount for coming up with the Jujitsu Tigers...although I doubt this is what he had in mind...just read for yourself!

And yes, I AM aware that all the "him/her" stuff isn't really proper grammar, but it's for added humor.

-------

The Asakusa Hanayashiki theme park is the oldest of its kind in Japan, first opening as a flower park in 1853. This Edo era amusement center once included tea shops, entertainment (misemono) and the exhibit of some animals. After World War II it became an amusement park, first operated by the Togo Company, and later sold to the toy company Bandai. It is considered by some to be a tad bit too old-fashioned and even hopelessly out of date, but when Jin chose it to be one of the locations for the previous King of Iron Fist tournament, its popularity rose significantly. Even though was still primarily a theme park for children, it was slowly beginning to gain appeal to adults as well.

**Author's Note: yes, it's the same Bandai that bought Namco!**

However, this once-peaceful place was now a maelstrom of panic and destruction thanks to one golem named Astaroth. He had been sent there by Kazuya for what he claimed to be "a reward for good behavior." The golem knew that his "boss" was in truth ordering him because he was implementing a new plan, but Astaroth didn't really mind. It had been far too long since he last drew blood, and drawing the blood of children was one of his more pleasurable pastimes.

_And the best part is, the Shinkengers will come running right into my hands once they hear about this. They should be here any minute,_ Astaroth thought as he sliced a family trying to flee from his carnage. _I cannot wait to see how much they've progressed…especially that black one with the orange hair!_

When Astaroth was last allowed to by Kazuya to go out into the open so that he could acquire the weapons Rusty Wing and Red Crow, he came into conflict with one Korean youth known as Hwoarang, whose alter-ego happened to be ShinkenBlack. It just so happened that the golem had killed the last remaining members of the Korean's gang shortly after he was revived, and Hwoarang wanted a bloody vengeance. When the two clashed, Astaroth defeated Hwoarang relatively easily thanks to the golem's lizard-men wearing the youth down, and only spared him because Kazuya told him to.

However, Astaroth would not forget the fire in the young man's fighting style. He had witnessed that same kind of fire in another youth who wanted revenge for his dead comrades: a nunchaku-wielding man named Maxi, the man who slew the golem once before. When he compared the two, Astaroth's blood began to boil and his hands trembled in anticipation.

"Astaroth!"

Astaroth darted around to see two boots fly towards his face right before hitting him and sending him reeling back in pain and surprise. Lifting his head while swing his battle ax to clear some room, he found his quarry: ShinkenBlack and ShinkenWhite were standing in front of him in their suits already waiting with a fighting stance. "This time you won't be getting away, freakshow!" Hwoarang pointed his finger at Astaroth before running towards the golem. "We're going to smash your head in!"

However, before Astaroth could charge, he was hit from behind and stumbled forwards, falling right into Hwoarang's clockwise kick that sent him flying to his right and crashing into a hot dog stand. After brushing off the many frankfurters and buns that fell on him, Astaroth put down his axe and lifted the stand into the air with his gargantuan strength and hurled it at his attackers, only for it to be blown away with a blast of ki.

The golem picked up his axe and inspected his foes: standing in front of him now were not only ShinkenBlack and ShinkenWhite, but Blue, Yellow, Red…and Silver. _A silver one, _Astaroth scratches his bald head in confusion. _I don't remember there being a silver one…he must the new peon Kazuya has been talking about…well, no matter! I'll destroy him just as easily!_

"OK Astaroth, this is where we settle things once and for all," Jin waited for Asuka and Hwoarang to get lined up with him and the rest of the group before pointing to the Shinkenger clad in silver, maroon and gold. "Allow me to introduce the latest addition to the team: Kenichi, start us off! This is the ax-wielding guy I was telling you about!"

"**ZERO**," Kenichi shot out his closed fist in the air and then stomped his foot on the ground as he got into a horse stance. "Cutting down foes with my undying soul…Dazzling Warrior of the Void: ShinkenSilver!"

"**ONE**," Sticking his left index finger high into the air, Hwoarang fired off a roundhouse kick into the air before entering his Flamingo Stance. "Striking down foes with fatal footwork…Tae Kwan Do-estilo: ShinkenBlack!"

"**TWO**," Her left index and middle fingers pointing skyward, Asuka went into her defensive stance. "Overcoming foes with daunting defense...Aikido-estilo: ShinkenWhite!"

"**THREE**," Steve stuck up three fingers in the air and then brought then down to get into his trademark Flicker stance. "Beating down foes with peerless punches…Boxing-estilo: ShinkenBlue!"

"**FOUR**," With all her fingers on her left hand up in the air save for her thumb, Xiaoyu brought the hand back down and went into her Phoenix Stance. "Overwhelming foes with blinding speed…Kung Fu-estilo! ShinkenYellow!"

"**FIVE**," His open palm shooting into the sky, Jin went into his Power Stance. "Smashing foes with the fists of fury…Karate-estilo! ShinkenRed!" Once the rest of his team got out of their respective stances, Jin spoke once again while pointing a finger at their adversary, who was watching with amusement. "Under the power of our divine fists, chaos shall never thrive!"

With the smoking battlefield that was once a theme park continuing to burn, what was once a field of death seemed to again fill with life and hope as the team struck a dynamic pose and their ki crackled across their bodies while the jewels on their chest flashed violently before they shouted out their mighty name. **"TEKKENSHU SENTAI…SHINKENGER!"**

"Hmph…you fools," Astaroth scoffed at the display and pounded the hilt of his ax on the ground. "Do you still think you can defeat me?" The golem let out a roar before charging the team. "I'll rip you color-coded bugs apart and devour your souls!"

Astaroth broke through the Shinkenger's formation with a powerful shoulder rush and sent the sextet sprawling backwards. Jin was the first get back on his feet, and barely had time to catch Astaroth's ax by putting his hands on the sides of the blade just as it was about to come down. Pitting his strength against Astaroth for a few seconds, Jin parried the blade and altered its course away from him, causing his adversary to stumble to the side slightly. With his foe now open, Jin sent the golem spiraling backwards with a right hook that left blue sparks in his wake: the signature of his Omen Wind Hook Fist.

Using his axe creatively, Astaroth planted it on the ground while spinning to create a makeshift break and stop his spiraling. Then, making use of some of his momentum from his cyclonic body, he spun around on the pole of his axe and flew back towards Jin in a powerful flying drop kick. His Japanese adversary was sent flying backwards as the golem's mammoth legs came into contact with his chest.

However, Astaroth still had a long way to go before he could claim victory.

As Astaroth got back up, he saw the five other Shinkengers charging at him just as violently as he had charged them. The golem raised his ax and blocked Xiaoyu's flurry of aerial kicks with his axe before snatching her out of the air with his free hand. Dangling her upside down from one leg, Astaroth bumped Xiaoyu with his chest twice before slamming her down to the ground. Once he did that, he stomped on her chest in an attempt to crush her.

"Stomping on a woman's magnificent bosom," Steve clenched his fist before coming to the aid of his comrade. "You, Astaroth, obviously need to work on your approach to the ladies!" Once he was in range, Steve pounded Astaroth in his face with a powerful forward right punch. The golem roared in pain as he stepped away from Xiaoyu and gripped his mouth in pain, allowing the Chinese girl to get away. Steve considered pursuing Astaroth by swaying back and forth and pounding the golem's abdomen with a painful hook punch with every sway. After the fifth blow, Astaroth grabbed Steve's arm and lifted the British fighter over his head, finally tossing him into the incoming Jin.

As Astaroth resumed a fighting stance to prepare for the next batch of fighters, he noticed that his body was gradually becoming darker, as if someone was casting a shadow over him. With his eyes shifting so he could see directly above him, Astaroth found the reason for such a phenomenon: plummeting towards him was ShinkenSilver, with his katana raised above his head in preparation for a finishing blow. The golem quickly lifted his axe high into the air and parried the downwards slash as ShinkenSilver landed and renewed his attack from the ground. The gargantuan axe and stylized katana clashed in a shower of sparks while Kenichi and Astaroth grinded them together as they tried to overpower the other. Astaroth had an obvious physical edge, but Kenichi's ShinkenSilver armor allowed him to keep his footing.

"Hmph…you're pretty good, runt," Astaroth said with a smirk as he and his adversary broke the deadlock before they simultaneously spun around for another slash.

Kenichi's blade once again came into contact with Astaroth and nodded in acknowledgement before replying. "You are very skilled, as well. I knew you were powerful, but I never imagined you to be so close to invincible." Breaking the deadlock once again by pushing his foot off Astaroth, Kenichi quickly backflipped away to avoid a high horizontal swipe that would have cut his head right off. "However, I'm not foolish enough to fight you one-on-one!" Kenichi outstretched his arms from side to side so that his body was in a t-shape. Then, after they had gotten a good running start, Asuka and Hwoarang jumped up from behind him and propelled themselves off his shoulders, falling on Astaroth with a pair of jump kicks.

The golem grunted and stumbled backwards, shaking off the blows and regaining enough control to parry Asuka and Hwoarang's forward punches. After redirecting the path the two fists, Astaroth used his axe to swat the two youths away like flies and send them crashing into a Whack-a-Mole booth. However, before he could charge after them, a familiar voice whispered in his ear. _Astaroth, my latest creations will take it from here. Begin the next stage of the plan… _

As if on cue, the ground between Astaroth and the other Shinkengers burst open, and two muscular figures popped out of the ground. As the dust cleared, the combatants noticed that the creatures weren't lizard-men like what normally emerged from the earth: in fact, they weren't reptilian at all. Both of them had the appearance of a Siberian tiger, except they stood on two legs and their claws paws had similarities to primate hands. One of the tigers had dark blue skin and was wearing a dark pink gi with a matching headband and sandals, and the other had bright pink fur wearing a baby blue gi. The two tigers growled and jumped over to the fallen Asuka and Hwoarang with an impressive pounce.

"Hey, what the hell?" Hwoarang shouted as he was grabbed by the pink tiger just as he stopped seeing stars. "What are you doing? Why don't you grab Asuka instead?"

"Sorry, sexy man," the pink tiger said in a ridiculous lisp. "But my brother is dealing with her!"

"Brother, I have her," the blue one shouted out as he lifted the struggling Asuka off the ground. "Let us begin!" The two tigers twirled their victims around, and then began running straight for each other before throwing their opponent down with a shoulder tackle, their two foes hitting each other on the way down with their Shinkenger suits vanishing in a flash upon contact. The two fighters, being hit in their heads which such force, moaned slightly before passing out…

-----------

"Oyyy…" Hwoarang muttered as he rubbed his head in pain. However, as he did that, he noticed that his hair now had an entirely different texture. Suddenly, Hwoarang's chest felt heavy, causing him to bend over slightly. Looking down, Hwoarang's eyes widened in horror as he looked at his chest and saw two large breasts covered with a white sports bra. "What the- what's going on!" Quickly looking to the side, Hwoarang saw something that sent his mind in disarray: his body was lying a few yards away from where he was. Hwoarang's body slowly got up and shook his head…and then pointed to Hwaorang and said. "What the hell? What am I doing over there?"

Hwoarang was about to say something when he thought about it for a moment and got up himself. Spotting a nearby mirror, Hwoarang and his body (which he was clearly no longer in) walked over to it and promptly screamed. It would seem Hwoarang was now in Asuka's body, and vice versa.

"Ah, you two got up just in time. You two have been unconscious for almost five minutes…" Jin walked up from behind them and waved. "How are you two feeling?"

"How am I feeling? HOW AM I FEELING?" Asuka (in Hwoarang's body) ran up to Jin and began shaking him by his still-transformed arms. "I'm a dude! How do think I'm feeling? One minute I'm a tomboy playgirl with a hot boyfriend, and now I'm a dude with a criminal record and a lousy personality!"

"What did you say?" Hwoarang turned to Asuka with rage in his (or rather, her) voice. "As if you have any room to talk, to you mannish- "

"Will you two stop?" Jin interrupted with the same aura of authority that made the other Shinkenger designate him as the defacto leader, and Asuka and Hwoarang immediately stopped arguing. "OK, here's what happened: after those two tigers smashed the two of you together, Astaroth told us that you two had switched bodies. The only way to get you two back to normal was to defeat them by yourselves. Astaroth managed to get away, but right now Kenichi is in the air looking for where the tigers are. In other words, you two are stuck like this until you two take them out, so once Kenichi finds out where they are, you'll be on your own…"

"You know, you two, it IS kind of funny," Steve walked up to Asuka and Hwoarang. "Asuka has always been a tomboy, and now she gets to actually see what it's like on the other side. And Hwoarang…" Steve moved closer to Hwoarang and whispered in his/her ear. "Well…blast it all, man, it could have been worse. That's quite a pair of knockers you now have…"

Steve was rewarded with two kicks to the face…

-----

_5 minutes later…_

A few seconds after Asuka and Hwoarang took their anger out on Steve, Kenichi radioed Jin and said that he had discovered the location of the tigers. Thus, after Jin said his goodbyes to them, the two began to head down to the said location: the center of the park. However, just because they were forced to fight together didn't exact mean they had to enjoy their company. Since they began their walk five minutes ago, they hadn't said a thing to each other…

"You know what?" Asuka broke the silence, hoping to shatter the ice of anonymity between her and the owner of the body she was now occupying. "I suppose Steve is right: it's really not all THAT bad. I could have wound up in Ganryu's body…"

"Maybe it would have been better for you to wind up in Feng's body," Hwoarang muttered as he/she continued walking. "You wouldn't have to worry about your breast size suddenly changing because there wouldn't be too much difference. I had no idea how much weight you have to put up with!" The Japanese woman that was once a Korean youth put his hands underneath his newfound bosom and lifted it slightly, hoping it would lessen the strain he was putting up with. "How is it that you can move so gracefully with so much pulling you down?"

"Practice makes perfect," Asuka said with a slightly annoyed tone of voice after so much mention of her eye-balling bust. "It certainly wasn't easy, but I eventually got used to it, although it definitely put a strain on my back the first few months. You just gotta find the right cup size…" Asuka turned to Hwoarang and swatted his/her hand. "And will you stop grabbing those? You'll adapt to them a lot easier if you just let them be!"

Hwoarang rolled his/her eyes as he let go of his bosom and continued walking. "You know, Asuka, Steve is right: there IS a bit irony in all this…we argue all the time, and now we're literally walking in each other's shoes…" Putting his slender hands behind his head as he continued walking, Hwoarang looked up in the sky. "I hate to admit it, Asuka, but I've garnered a newfound respect for you…"

Suddenly, Asuka began quivering slightly as she gripped her toned arms like she was freezing. "Brrr…what's going on? I'm shaking uncontrollably for no reason at all…"

Hwoarang reached over to Asuka's(or rather, his own) pocket and pulled out a pack of gum, offering it thoughtfully to Asuka. "That's probably the nicotine craving that I've been trying to get rid of. After Jae and Choi were killed, I quit smoking because they always told me it was a nasty habit…"

"Wow…and here I thought you were the epitome of impulsiveness," Asuka nodded her/his head in respect and she took out a piece of gum and began chewing. "Now I'm the one who's found a newfound respect…but don't tell Kenichi…"

"Tch! If I wanted to make a move on you, you would have dumped that rookie long ago," Hwoarang scoffed as he heard Asuka add in that last little comment.

"And now we're going to dump you…"

Hwoarang and Asuka stopped walking as they heard a familiar voice. The two slowly scanned the area filled with merry-go-rounds and concession stands in an attempt to find the owner of the voice. Being they were now in bodies that were relatively unfamiliar to them, Asuka and Hwoarang could only rely on their eyes and ears to help them.

Suddenly, two figures burst out from the ground in front of them and grabbed their arms before tossing both of them into a merry-go-round. Asuka and Hwoarang both landed on their feet before they could crash into the carousel. The two martial artists quickly regained proper footing and assuming a fighting stance to lay their eyes on the enemy: they were the same creatures responsible for their current condition.

"I believe an introduction is in order," the blue tiger pointed at his pink counterpart before pointing at himself with his claw. "This is Gal, and I'm Ben…"

"…and we are the Jujitsu Tigers, Double Trouble!" Gal struck a dynamic pose after he was introduced, and his brother quickly followed suit. Asuka and Hwoarang, although knowing that these two were clearly dangerous, tried to keep from snickering upon hearing Gal's lisp. Even though many of their previous foes had their own silly manner of speech, Gal's stereotypical "gay lisp" was definitely in a class of its own.

"Laugh all you want, Shinkengers," Ben (who was obviously the more serious of the duo) bared his claws before charging the two Shinkengers. "My brother's manner of speech will have little effect on your fate to lie broken and helpless at our feet!" Asuka and Hwoarang readied their morphers and began to crackle with power...but their morphers didn't respond, leaving the two youths to get grabbed by their necks and tossed like rag dolls.

"You can charge your ki all you like, sweethearts," Gal taunted as he got on all fours and ran towards the two Shinkengers like a cat going after a ball of yarn. "You're in new bodies, and that means they won't work like your old one! If you can't focus your power right, you can't morph!" The pink tiger grabbed Asuka by her/his foot and slammed her into the ground with a powerful power bomb. "Looks you're all mine, you silly silly boy!"

"I don't mean to rain on your parade, buddy," Asuka rolled away before Gal could grab her again and scrambled back onto her feet. "I'm not a guy! Just because I look one now doesn't mean I play one in real life!" Gal came charging at her again, and Asuka prepared to counter-attack by tossing him with a vacuum throw as he attacked. However, her reaction time was a tad too slow, and paid for her sluggishness with a powerful kick to the solar plexus.

_Darn it, _Asuka thought to herself between the surges of pain that were spreading throughout her midsection, _this body is used to doing that Tae Kwan Do stuff: it's not meant for the defensive style of Kazama-ryu Aikido! _Quickly throwing down her defenses for the time being, Asuka ducked under a thrusting elbow and threw a punch to the creature's furry stomach. However, Gal caught the punch with his other clawed hand and slash Asuka in her toned pectorals before tossing her over his shoulder and right into Hwoarang, who was about to rush to her aid. Hwoarang attempted to catch her, but his arms were a tad too thin to properly catch someone who was now half a foot taller than him. The two fighters crashed into each other, with Hwoarang on his/her back and Asuka's face sitting in his bosom.

"Get my boobs out of your face right now," Asuka said as she lifted her head and took a breath. "Just because I'm not using my body right now doesn't mean that I'm going to let it be violated."

"Hey, you're the one who fell on them," Hwoarang protested as he pushed Asuka off dusted his slender legs off. "I'm starting to wonder if you have some sort of narcissism going on!" The two fighters quickly regained proper footing and assumed a fighting stance. "Being that I don't want to go through what you just went through, how's about you tell me how to work this body?"

"You can't just put everything you've got into every attack like you can in your old body," Asuka said as she and Hwoarang simultaneously flipped away from the Double Trouble duo's swipes. "You think about how you would play defensively."

"Sorry, babe, but being on the defensive is never a good thing for me," Hwoarang ran towards Ben and Gal, ignoring Asuka's advice. "Time to see what this new body can do!" Asuka watched on in amusement as Hwoarang attempted to use his powerful kicks with his unfamiliar body as his weapon. After hearing the sound of blows landing, Asuka chuckled a bit as Hwoarang was sent flying right back to where he had started, landing on his/her buttocks. "Hmmm," Hwoarang stroked his beautiful chin for a moment before snapping his fingers and taking off his morpher. "Hey, Asuka, hand me your morpher. Maybe if we use the morphers we're used to using, we can compensate for being drivers in an unfamiliar vehicle…"

Asuka thought about it for a moment, and then nodded her orange-haired head in agreement as she unbuckled her ShinkenBlack morpher and exchanged it for her more familiar ShinkenWhite one. After the two fighters had buckled their morphers back on, they resumed their respective fighting stances and watched Ben and Gal charge at them running on all fours. Asuka and Hwoarang once again focused their energies and crackled with energy, praying that the Korean's plan worked. Suddenly, their morphers began to flash violently, and the two fighters cracked a wide smile as they grabbed the charging tigers and tossed them over their shoulders before being engulfed in a bright light.

When the light faded, the two were in the clad in their ShinkenBlack and ShinkenWhite armor…although with slight modifications. Asuka's ShinkenWhite suit had lost its skirt that it had when worn by Asuka, while Hwoarang's ShinkenBlack outfit had gained a skirt. The two youths rolled their eyes beneath their helmets as they took notice to the changes that their outfits had undergone to match their genders. _Well, at least now we can morph, _Asuka shrugged as she and Hwoarang ran after the Judo Tigers. _Time to kick some ass and get this over with!_

"What the hell?" Ben jumped up in surprise as he got back up and noticed that Hwoarang and Asuka had morphed. So surprised was he that Ben was unable to hold back the powerful attack that the two Shinkengers unleashed upon them. Hwoarang used his/her slender legs to kick the blue tiger four times, with the last hit sending him skyward. Once he did that, he juggled Ben into the air with three more kicks before jumping up and kicking him towards Asuka.

Asuka, with her toned masculine arms, grabbed Ben out of the air and slammed him into the ground. Asuka lifted her fist and punched Ben in the temple just underneath his feline ear, drawing sparks as her blow made contact. Before Ben could roll away from Asuka's grip, she tossed the monster high into the air with a Falling Rain toss…

…leaving Hwoarang to jump up after Ben with an incredible forward leap. The Korean youth-turned-Japanese teenager bombarded Ben with a powerful flurry of aerial kicks as his purple ki crackled across his/her remarkably feminine body. As Hwoarang and Ben began to fall to the ground, Asuka began to spin towards the destined point of impact as her comrade lifted his/her leg above his head. When Ben was in range, Hwoarang cut through the tiger with an axe kick while Asuka attacked with a Spinning Heel Drop. The two blows hit simultaneously as the two Shinkengers gave a name to their maneuver.

"SHINKEN TEAM-UP TECHNIQUE: KICKER'S CROSSING!"

Ben's body spewed forth sparks and small explosions riddled his body as he roared in pain. "Brother Gal," he said with a hiss as the sparked continued to bleed out of him. "I leave to rest to you!" After releasing one final lion-like roar, Ben exploded in a fiery plume.

"Oh…you…you," Gal clenched his paw in anger before letting loose a primal roar of his own and charging the two youths, "…you savages!" The pink-furred creature bared his claws and pounced upon Asuka and got her/him into a headlock. "You'll be the first, sweetie! Say your prayers!"

_Ugh, this must be God punishing me for making all those yaoi jokes to Hwoarang about Jin, _Asuka thought to herself as she tried to break free before her(or rather, Hwoarang's) neck was snapped by the vengeful tiger. _But no matter how effeminate this weirdo is, I'll bet my dad's collection of Pac-man memorabilia that won't be able to withstand…THIS! _Using all of the strength that Hwoarang's powerful legs had to offer, Asuka's knee shot up and bashed Gal in his groin. The pink-furred tiger let out a high-pitched squeal and he released Asuka and dismounted her as he stood up and grabbed his crotch in pain. Asuka scrambled back onto her feet and sent Gal spiraling backwards with a jumping clockwise roundhouse kick.

Gal landed his feet like any good feline would and was about to rush Asuka again, when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. Gal turned around, and was rewarded for his curiosity with a pair of left-handed jabs followed by two kicks courtesy of Hwoarang. When Hwoarang attempted for another kick, though, Gal grabbed his/her leg and tossed him over his shoulder. "Look, you silly bitch," Gal said in that whiny voice of his. "There's no way you can sneak up behind me-OWWW!"

Gal went flying past Hwoarang and landed a few meters away, leaving a trail of purple energy in his wake. Hwoarang got back up and ran over to where Asuka had launched a blast of ki. "We finally have you figured out, you pink pansy," Hwoarang shouted as a bright pink energy sphere began to form in his cupped hands. "Because you're without your brother, you're only half as strong as the guys we normally face. That's why this battle has been going real quick!"

"You talk crazy, you silly bitch," Gal retorted as he sprayed saliva out of his mouth while emphasizing the "s" in "silly." "I'm as strong as I ever was! I'll prove it to you!" Once again running of all fours, Gal let out a fearsome meow and charged towards the two body-swapped Shinkengers. Then, once he was within ten meters of the pair, he leapt to the sky as he prepared to pounce the two...

"SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"

…until Asuka and Hwoarang unleashed their gathered energies and each fired off a powerful ball of energy: one being purple and the other being pink. The two energies collided with the pink tiger as he fell down in a shower of sparks. "Oh damn," it whined as small explosions riddled his body while he continued to plummet to the ground. "My brother always told me not to bite off more than I can chew!" As he smashed into the ground, the monster exploded in a fiery plume like a bomb being dropped out of an airplane.

"ALL RIGHT," Asuka jumped in the air while pumping her fist and then walked over to Hwoarang to give him/her a high-five. As their palms connected however, their Shinkenger suits disappeared in a flash of light and they sudden began to feel woozy. After a few seconds of disorientation, the two fighters regained their senses and looked at each other...and then let out a long shout of victory. They were back in their original bodies.

"Whoa…I'm impressed, you two…"

Asuka and Hwoarang turned around to see Steve and Kenichi walking up behind them wearing their civilian attire. Asuka, unable to control herself, ran towards Kenichi and tackled the brown-haired youth onto the ground. "Kenichi, I had no idea being a boy was so damn tough!" Asuka grabbed Kenichi by his shoulders and began shaking him violently. "I swear that I'll never make another yaoi joke for as long as I live! Now take me to the mall!"

"N-nani?" Kenichi's eyes widened in surprise as Asuka dismounted him and quickly got the boy back onto his feet. "But I thought you hated going to the mall because it was…feminine!"

"EXACTLY," Asuka shouted as she grabbed Kenichi's arm and began pulling him away from Hwoarang and Steve. Their shouts could be heard for good two minutes as they eventually left earshot.

"…so…Hwoarang," Steve rubbed the back of his head and straightened his nosepinch glasses as he tried to find the words he was looking for. "…I'm sorry about poking fun earlier…how about I take you out for a drink and we'll call it even?"

"…sounds good to me," Hwoarang gave a quick thumbs-up while he walked alongside Steve. "Once we're done with that, we can go watch a baseball game and drunk off our asses, and then we'll burp and fart and do all the things that make us men!" The Korean let out a quick shout as he pumped his fist in anticipation. "By the way Steve, if you ever need advice on how to deal with the ladies…"


	13. Episode 12: Killer Whale

This will count as both this week's ep and next week's because this weekend I'll be going to Cincinati to watch the Bengals take on the Carolina Panthers. Last weekend I had a fun time at anime-con: there someone there dressed up as freakin' DOGGY CRUGER!

Consider this a prelude to Jin's "Battlizer," for anyone who knows that term. Enjoy!

_--------_

_Tokyo, Japan_

_13th day since Astaroth's attack on Marunouchi _

_6:00 PM_

The first aquarium in Japan was opened at Ueno Zoo in 1882 and there are now more than a hundred aquariums in the country. During the period, the facilities and capacity of aquariums have been enlarged and the purposes of display have been changing from just showcasing various fishes to presenting environments surrounding marine creatures.

The Epson Aqua Stadium opened in 2005 at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel on a prime piece of real estate located a mere two-minute walk from Shinagawa Station. As well as families, the complex is attracting couples and groups of adults keen to experience Tokyo's latest fun night out. The aquarium tanks at the ¥9.2 billion facility ($87 million) hold a total of 4,130 tons of water and are home to about 20,000 sea creatures of 300 different species. Besides the aquarium, Aqua Stadium boasts a variety of other facilities. There is also a concert hall, restaurant, café, and even an in indoor roller coaster. One of the central attractions is the circular dolphin pool, which has a diameter of 25 meters. Its 1,350 seats are laid out to encircle the pool completely, making the dolphin shows all the more exciting for the audience.

With so much to do, and conveniently located near the Bay area, it was the ideal place for just about anyone's idea of a romantic evening. In the case of two young people by the names of Ling Xiaoyu and Jin Kazama, it would seem that the sentiment was shared. After a long string of battles, Jin had felt that the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger could use a well-deserved break after so many days of fighting it out with the mysterious enemies while simultaneously trying to dig up clues as to the enemy's true identity.

Asuka and Kenichi were on what the former claimed to be a date, while Hwoarang and Steve were off bar-hopping. Jin, however, wanted to be with Xiaoyu to do whatever she wanted to do. Xiaoyu was easily Jin's closest friend, and because of that, she had to endure most of the threats that Jin's many enemies issued. Perhaps the one that Jin dreaded the most was how Jean Sorel, the vice-president of G-Corporation and a certifiable madman, had sworn in the previous tournament that he would take Xiaoyu and slowly drain her vital fluids out of her body just to watch the Japanese youth squirm.

_Xiao shouldn't have to suffer through all of this because of me,_ Jin thought to himself as he waited for Xiaoyu to get out of the bathroom. _This is the least I can do to repay her for staying with me all this time, even though it probably isn't safe to be around me…_

After a couple of minutes, a lithe Chinese woman dressed in a white t-shirt and yellow sleeveless jacket with matching sweat pants walked out of the bathroom, with her long back hair tied back in two pigtails. Once she spotted Jin, the woman came running towards him.

"Hey there, Jin," Xiaoyu returned the smile with a heart-warming one of her own as she slowed her run until she was standing in front of her friend. "Are you ready to get going? I want to go to see the sea lions!"

"Hm?" Jin's train of thought was broken as Xiaoyu's voice rang through his ears. "Oh, I'm sorry about that, Xiao. I guess I was just thinking…"

Suddenly, Jin felt two hands gently wrap around his muscular arm. Jin's face reddened slightly as Xiao gave his arm a tug and pulled him along. "We can talk about it during the show. Now come on! I don't want to miss a thing!"

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_5:20 PM_

While the sea lion pool's seating was dwarfed by that of the larger dolphin pool's seating with a ratio of 393 to 1350, it had a sellout crowd on almost every show. Even though sea lions were not as generally loved as dolphins, it was an interesting alternate and the charm of the water mammals was apparent to all to witness them.

Jin watched the show quietly as Xiaoyu cheered while the sea lions performed various stunts at the behest of their trainers. After Xiaoyu sat back down into her seat, she saw the distant look in Jin's face and finally steeled her nerves. "What's wrong, Jin?"

"…I'm just thinking about how far we've come, Xiaoyu," Jin replied without breaking his gaze on the sea lions in the center of the ring. "It's been almost two weeks since Astaroth first appeared, and we've had quite a few rough spots since we began chasing him across the city. First Hwoarang's friends were killed, then that artifact from the British Museum was almost stolen. Let's not forget the time where his lizard-people raided the airport on the day that the world leaders were arriving for the conference…"

"Oh yeah," Xiaoyu giggled as she reminisced. "That was when we first did our trademark poses. We all got a good laugh when Hwoarang-"

"Xiaoyu," Jin interrupted as he turned to face his friend, "are you bitter towards me?"

"What?" Xiaoyu's eyes widened in surprise and she straightened her body in astonishment upon hearing Jin's question. "Jin, what's gotten into you? What made you think that I'd be bitter towards you?"

"During the last King of Iron Fist Tournament, I purposely invited that maniac Sorel so I could beat my mother's whereabouts out of him. I thought he was nothing but an arrogant weakling who was nothing but talk…and I paid for my mistake with your pain. Because of my foolishness, I almost lost you forever…" Jin's voice trailed off while he lowered his head in shame.

"Jin, you shouldn't blame yourself," Xiaoyu ducked down slightly to follow Jin's gaze as she gave him words of comfort. "Lunatics enter the tournament all the time: if you weren't going to invite, he would've been in the tournament anyway by applying himself." The Japanese young man's head lifted as she said that. Xiaoyu smiled as she continued. "Jin, you know I could never hate you for something like that."

Jin smiled lightly and nodded his head. "Thank you, Xiao…I'm glad to hear that." Turning back around to watch the sea lion show, the couple remained silent for the remainder of the event. After the trainer thanked the crow and asked that they enjoy the rest of their time at the Epson Aqua Stadium, Jin broke the silence. "What do want to do next?"

Xiaoyu paused as she pondered where the two would venture next. After a few seconds, she gave her usual smile and got out of her seat. "Let's go on the roller coaster!"

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_8:00 PM_

In the two hours that followed, Jin and Xiaoyu enjoyed the many sites of interests that the Epson Aqua Stadium had to offer. They went on the famed indoor roller coaster, attended the dolphin show, and jammed at a rock concert at the Epson's music hall. At seven o'clock they left the stadium to head for the Tokyo Bay area to conclude their day off: an hour cruise through the bay.

The Moderna was created as a sister ship of the original "Symphony" (currently Classica) in 1992. The Moderna, initially named the "Symphony 2", was reborn as the "Symphony Moderna" on April 1st, 1998. The Moderna's interior has the distinct atmosphere of a luxury liner and blends in perfectly with the Tokyo Bay scenery and provides an elegant and luxurious cruising experience.

Xiaoyu and Jin were standing on the top deck of the ship admiring the night sky, with the former leaning on the latter's shoulder as he stood over the railing. _What_ _a beautiful night,_ Jin thought while he shifted his gaze to the ocean. _There hasn't been one call from anyone involving Astaroth, Lizard-men, or bizarre-looking monsters that know martial arts: it's almost too good to be true…_

"Jin?" Xiaoyu removed her head from Jin's shoulder and looked up to his handsome face. "Thanks for spending all this time with me. I had a fun day today…"

"It's nothing, Xiao," Jin said as he turned around to meet her gaze. "Compared to everything you've done for me, this is but a trifling-"The Japanese young man stopped in mid-sentence while his cheeks reddened as he realized that Xiaoyu's face was gradually becoming closer to his. _I see…so that's how it's going to be, _Jin thought to himself as he admired Xiaoyu's intense beauty in the moonlight, _I won't deny you this time, Xiao…you deserve better than that. _Steeling his nerves, Jin slowly moved his face closer to Xiao's with the realization that this would be his first kiss…

"DOSOKOI," A loud bellowing voice spoiled the moment as Jin and Xiaoyu turned their heads in surprise while boat began to rock violently. Jin barely had enough time to get away from the railing as someone or something burst forth from the ocean beneath them like ash from a volcano and few past Xiaoyu and Jin to land in the middle of the deck with a loud thud that rocked the large boat.

The nine-foot-tall creature resembled a blue humpback whale, except his fins moved like human arms and had a thumb on each fin. Another unusual feature was that he had humanoid legs and feet, which were covered with red sandals. His midsection was clothed with a crimson mawashi with a design of a white skull on it, and his gaping mouth was lined with teeth. "I am Shamutori, the Sumo Whale," the bizarre sea creature said with a deep booming voice while stomping his foot in the ground. "I hereby challenge you to a fight to the bitter end!"

Whereas everyone else on the top deck panicked and retreated for the stairway that led to the lower levels, Jin and Xiaoyu instead ran up to the whale and confronted him. "You picked the wrong night to mess with us, weirdo," Xiaoyu pointed an accusing finger at Shamutori as she and Jin crackled with their ki while their morphers glowed in unison. In a flash of light, their ShinkenYellow and ShinkenRed suits formed on their bodies. Shamutori tried to attack them with a head butt while they transformed, but he was sent back with a pair of punches as their helmets materialized over their faces.

"On the contrary, ShinkenYellow," the sumo whale resumed proper footing as he got into a fighting stance, "I picked the perfect day to attack. Out here in the bay, your comrades cannot come to your aid! Perhaps if you had opted to go on land to conclude your evening, you might not in this predicament!"

"What predicament are you talking about?" Jin and Xiaoyu assumed a fighting stance as they and Shamutori slowly circled the deck, their gazes on each other remaining unbroken. "Are you saying that you're going to be the one to defeat us? There are two of us and only one of you, and some of the monsters we've faced were defeated one-on-one!" As Jin said that, Shamutori leaned down so that his blowhole was facing the two Shinkengers. Scalding steam erupted from the hole, causing the air around them to be veiled in a cloud of steam. Once he had felt that the steam was sufficient, Shamutori began to attack the blinded Shinkengers.

The Sumo Whale attacked Xiaoyu first, being she was the first to make a threat towards him, with a powerful ramming head butt that caused her to crumple over in pain. Once he did that, he picked her up by the neck with one hand and slammed her onto the deck. "You need more meet on your bones, girl," Shamutori commented as he prepared to crush Xiaoyu under the weight on his legs. "And in a moment, meat will all you'll be!"

Unfortunately for Shamutori, his voice was all Jin needed to pin-point his location through the steam. Jin pounded the whale in his large face with a powerful Omen Wind Hook Fist, but the whale did not move from his spot. Brushing off the blow as a person would if he were bitten by a fly, Shamutori turned away from Xiaoyu to confront Jin, who continued his assault with a flurry of punches and kicks that concluded with a low kick to the creature's shin. Shamutori felt the blow this time, and leaned down to grip his foot in pain. However, the opening he left wasn't big enough for Jin to add in yet another attack, and the whale countered by grabbing Jin and tossing him downwards.

Coming to her friend's aid by identifying where Jin had landed, Xiaoyu found her way through the steam to finally knock the behemoth whale off of his feet with a powerful one-handed thrust: her signature Storming Flower technique. The Chinese woman continued the assault with an aerial flurry of kick to the top of the whale's head, bouncing of Shamutori after the fifth head and causing him to take a few steps back. Xiaoyu saw that she did some sort of damage and let out a quiet cheer before attempting the maneuver again. This time, Shamutori grabbed the lithe girl from the air and began to swing her around until finally tossing her into Jin.

Shamutori's eyes widened in surprise as Jin caught Xiaoyu and gently placed her back on feet before the two attacked the sumo creature simultaneously. The whale swatted away a forward kick by Xiaoyu and then grabbed her to get her in a crushing bear hug. Before he could break the girl's back, Shamutori was forced to drop her at the behest of a roundhouse kick to the back of his massive head from Jin. The sumo whale countered the attack by shooting steam from his blowhole and blasting Jin into a table.

The whale turned his attention back to Xiaoyu and bombarded the girl with a wide array of hand slaps. However, this was not the kind of technique that Xiaoyu was used to seeing from a rikishi. The palm thrusts came at her like lightning, bombarding her body and soul like hammers. After a couple it seconds, the whale's hands were a nothing but a blur to the naked eye. "It is hopeless, little one," Shamutori resumed taunting Xiaoyu as he contined his assault, pushing her closer and closer to the railing on the deck. "Now I shall push you out of the dohyo!"

However, just as he was about send her over the edge, Xiaoyu grabbed Shamutori by his outstretched arm and twirled him around, causing him to land flat on his back. As Shamutori flapped around to regain his footing, Xiaoyu gracefully flipped back to Jin's side as the steam finally began to subside. When Shamutori finally lifted his massive body by using his tail to prop himself up, he noticed that his fog was gone. The Sumo Whale narrowly sidestepped Jin and Xiao's kicks and backed away to create more steam…

…but all that came out of his blowhole was weak sprinkle of cool water. Blinking his eyes in surprise, Shamutori tried again and grunted in exaggerated effort, but all that came out was a comical puff of steam. "It would appear that I have been out of the water too long," the sumo whale nodded his head in approval of his own theory while his two opponents continued to maintain their fighting stance. "However, I shall not retreat. There are alternative methods for recharging my steam!"

Running at the two Shinkengers with surprising speed for someone so large, Shamutori sent Jin flying backwards with a shoulder tackle and grabbed Xiaoyu before she knew what was going on. "Hey, what are you doing? Put me down," the Chinese girl protested as Shamutori held her over his head and tilting her upside down. As he did that, Shamutori's large mouth opened wide like a humpback whale feeding on planckton.

Then, once it had fully opened, Shamutori shoved Xiaoyu into his gaping mouth. Xiaoyu kicked wildly as she entered the whale's gullet, screaming Jin's name in hopes that he would rescue her. Her screams became gradually quieter and quieter, though, as she sank deeper and deeper into Shamutori while he tried to swallow her whole.

As Jin shook off the dizziness that Shamutori's ramming had given him, he quickly scrambled back onto his feet upon hearing Xiaoyu's screams. However, when he laid his eyes on Shamutori, it was too late: he only had time to watch Xiaoyu's boots sink into the whale and disappear from sight. "W…what have you done?"

"What does it look like I have done, ShinkenRed?" Shamutori replied arrogantly before letting out a loud belch. "I have just consumed your friend, of course!" The whale's underbelly glowed for a moment before a yellow "4" tattoo materialized on it. "And thanks to her sacrifice, I am once again fully charged!"

"…" Jin was silent as he realized the atrocity that Shamutori he had committed. Xiaoyu was his closest friend, and not two minutes ago she was going to become so much more. Now, all of that would come to a tragic end inside the digestive bowels of this creature. Jin carelessly let his guard down by allowing the Shinkenger a break, and paid the price with her untimely demise at the hands of their mysterious enemy. _My cherubic Xiaoyu…gone? I refuse to accept that!_

Suddenly, Jin's body began to radiate a dull red aura that burned off of him like liquid fire, and his breath became haggard. He emitted a low, canine-like growl from the bottom of his throat while he slowly approached Shamutori with his ki crackling across his body. The aura surrounding Jin intensified, and seemed to darken the lighting around him, exclusively blanketing him in an eerie darkness.

"Interesting," Shamutori stroked his huge chin in curiosity. "Your ki has risen greatly. However, it shall avail you not!" The sumo whale leaned down and once again fired off a blast of steam at Jin, attempting to blind him so that Shamutori would have the upper hand. However, as the burst of vapor came it Jin, it instantly dissipated and failed to stop Jin's slow advance. When Shamutori realized this, he stopped spraying…and saw that Jin's appearance had changed.

His platinum vest was now adorned with black spider-like markings with the jewel on his chest oozing a crimson liquid, his while gloves had become black with claw-like appendages growing from the fingers, and a glowing red dot had appeared on the silver trim just above his helmet's black visor. "You monster," Jin said just loud enough for Shamutori to hear. "I will never forgive you…"

Suddenly, Jin's speed fluxated while he went from a slow walk to a fun run, catching the whale off guard. In almost an instant, Jin was directly in front of Shamutori. "Shi-ne," The Japanese youth snarled while attacking the Sumo whale with a right cross to his stomach. "Shi-ne," he repeated while following up with a left straight to the chest. Finally concluding with a powerful right-handed uppercut that sent the creature into the air, Jin repeated his command once again with a powerful, piercing shout, "SHI-NE!"

**Author's Note: "Die, die, DIE!" **

With his opponent now off the ground, Jin juggled that gargantuan behemoth around with a blinding flurry of punches and kicks that defied any possible human speeds. After what must have been the twentieth hit in accordance from the number of times Shamutori grunted, Jin finished his barrage with a powerful standing roundhouse kick that left a dark red streak of ki in its wake. The Sumo Whale spiraled down to ground and dented the metallic floor of the top deck and he landed.

Shamutori slowly propped himself back up and barely had enough time to bump Jin away with his chest when the Japanese youth tried to continue his assault. The Sumo Whale watched as he landed on his feet and prepared to strike again. He instantly knew that there was something seriously wrong the instant he got a better look at his head: Jin's eyes were glowing red to such an extent that they shone through his visor. _It would seem that he is no ordinary human, _Shamutori thought as he charged at Jin with uncanny velocity by using his steam as propulsion. _I shall end this now, before he inflicts serious harm!_

Grabbing the feral youth, Shamutori rammed Jin into the railing of the top deck, which bent from the collision of such weight. His victim roared in pain and clawed at the whale's face to try and set himself free, but Shamutori endured the pain while crushing Jin with a powerful bear hug. Even with Jin's demonic rage fueling his strength, Shamutori's raw bulk still had an advantage. Little by little, Jin's flailing decreased and his snarling quieted as his vision began to blur…

…until the whale suddenly released Jin from his crushing embrace and gripped his stomach in pain. Shamutori groaned while his belly suddenly seemed to gurgle loudly. When the sumo whale noticed that there was a handprint popping out from his belly, he realized what was going on. "Are you still alive in there?" Shamutori said out loud. "Maybe I was too lenient in swallowing you whole! Be quiet and digest while I devour your friend!"

This did not escape the intention of Jin, however. Even though his vision and rational thought was being drowned in a sea of crimson, he could still see that his Xiaoyu was alive and well, but she wouldn't be if he did not make haste. The Japanese youth let out a primal howl and barest claws. "I think it is time..." Jin stated as he ran towards Shamutori and pounced upon the gargantuan creature, "…that you lost some weight!"

Jin cackled with sinister glee as he began to dig his claws into Shamutori's belly, tearing away at the whale's blubber. Shamutori roared in agony as he shot out sparks from where Jin was scratching at him. The sumo whale tried to defend himself by bashing Jin's head with a pair of hand slaps, but the Japanese youth would not be deterred by something as trifling as pain. The blubber and sparks contined to fly out of the creature's body, but Jin was making very little progress: it was as if the belly was regenerating itself.

Finally, Jin noticed the yellow "4" on the belly, and began to change his course of action. "You have something of mine, bloated one," Jin said with a cruel glare while his left hand began to glow bright red. "I believe it is far past time that you returned it!" Once his raised left hand was shining brighter than the moon, Jin plunged the hand into the tattoo and waited until it began to crackle against it. The Japanese youth jumped off Shamutori as the whale got back up and howled in pain. The whale heaved and shot out a ball of yellow light from his mouth, while seconds later took form and materialized into Xiaoyu, still in her ShinkenYellow suit: she was covered with mucus and was visibly shaken, but she was still breathing.

Now that his friend was out of the way, Jin ran back up to Shamutori and sent him spiraling high the air with a powerful standing uppercut. "You will not survive this," Jin shouted as both his hands and the newly-formed jewel on his head crackled with dark red ki. "It's time to die! SHINKEN FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU INFERNO!" As he gave name to his technique, Jin's head and hands shot out three massive beams of ki that hit Shamutori in the air with explosive results. The Sumo Whale exploded in a ball of orange fire while raining down blubber and sparks into the sea.

As Jin watched his enemy perish, he suddenly began to feel his head spin while the markings on his vest and jewel on his helmet vanished as the ShinkenRed suit began to take on its original appearance. Once it had done that, the suit vanished completely in a flash of red light, revealing Jin's tired face. _That bloodlust...it hasn't been that strong since I faced Sorel, _Jin thought as he started to lose his balance. _Whoever this new enemy is, he or she was able to draw out the devil within, but at least Xiaoyu is safe now. _Hearing the sound of footsteps, Jin looked up and saw Xiaoyu running towards him with her helmet off but still covered with mucus. _Xiaoyu…I don't what I would do without you…_

"Jin!" Xiaoyu shouted out her friend's name as he passed out in her arms. Feeling in forehead, the Chinese girl realized that Jin had a fever. "Oh Jin," she whispered as she held him close as the boat finally pulled into the main dock. "Don't worry about a thing…I'll take care of you…"


	14. Episode 13: Stand Alone Complex

Yet another Shinkenger...however, he's not exactly one of the good guys! Read on, and thanks for your patience!

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Located on a complex site in the center of Tokyo, on the edge of the Ginza commercial and entertainment district and the Maronouchi business district, The Tokyo International Forum is Japan's largest congress center. It was built following an open international competition in 1989 held by the Union Internationale des Architectes, which was won by the New York architect Rafeal Vinoly.

The irregular shaped site, occupying an entire city block that was originally occupied by a complex of buildings constituting Tokyo's City Hall, is also situated between two of Tokyo's busiest transportation hubs; Yurakucho Station on the site's southern boundary, one of the city's most important subway stations and Tokyo Central Station, two blocks to the north, that is the city's regional and national railway link.

For a certain horde of reptilian creatures, this was the ideal place to stalk down humans and feed on their flesh, as they came and go by the thousands every minute during business hours. Their masters Kazuya and Astaroth felt that the Lizard-men needed some free time to make sure that they did not turn on them, so the terrifying duo came to the conclusion that letting them roam free in that area wouldn't hurt their grand scheme too much.

The Tokyo International Forum was best known for being a giant concert hall, so Kazuya also felt it would be the perfect opportunity to let his latest creation make its mark on the city.

"I'd like to thank my fans for coming out today!" a loud voice shouted over the screams of civilians as the Lizard-men mangled any bystander that came across, soaking the entrance of the Tokyo International Forum with blood while he stood in front of the reptilian horde with a jet black electric guitar in his hands. The source of the voice was a little less than six feet tall and dark brown in color, wearing a black leather jacket with the same skull design that some of Kazuya's previous creations sported, as well as dark red baggy pants covering his legs with a dark blue rope dangling slighty from his right hip. His body was covered in thick dark brown fur, and his arms were lined with a brown membrane that resembled leathery wings. His hideous face was more than enough for any bystander who wasn't getting fed to the Lizard-man to distinguish what he was: a man-bat. "I am Ricoshade, the Capoeira Bat," the bat-creature pointed his clawed finger into the air before bringing his hand down to the strings of the guitar. "I hope that you enjoy my show, gringos y gringas!"

However, before he could play a note, Ricoshade was sent flying forwards as he was struck from behind by an unknown assailant. The bat landed flat on his face while his guitar broke his fall. The lizard-men who come with Ricoshade to the International Forum all stopped what they were doing and turned the man who had struck down the bat. "You almost broke my axe, muchacho," Ricoshade scrambled back onto his feet and pointed as the assailant accusingly. "That is not cool!"

The attacker was a powerfully-built Chinese man wearing a maroon Kung Fu uniform with white socks and black shoes. His long black hair was tied back a braided ponytail, and his stern face was as muscular and commanding as the rest of his physique. The man pointed at the bat, and changed his hand's direction so that he was motioning Ricoshade towards him. Once he did that, he stomped his foot on the ground and assumed a fighting stance.

Ricoshade cracked his neck and put his guitar over his shoulder before slowing moving from side to side in a traditional Capoeira "jinga." With a piercing scream, Ricoshade sent a shockwave of pure sound at the assailant, causing the pavement to crack as the wave crossed it. The Chinese man quickly put his arms up and took the wave full force, pushing him back with his shoes screeching across the ground. When he lifted his guard and looked up, the assailant received a kick to the face, followed by a second swinging leg that sent him spiraling face-first into the ground.

The assailant quickly sprung back up onto his feet while Ricoshade pulled out his guitar and played a powerful riff. The bat banged his head to the music that he was playing, adding further to the metallic trance that anyone who witnessed (that was far enough away to avoid the Lizard-men's attentions) couldn't help but listen in astonishment. As the Chinese assailant began to come at him with a full run, Ricoshade concluded his riff and reared his guitar back to swat the man away like a golfer would a golf ball.

The assailant landed of his feet once again and rubbed where he had been hit. Quickly resuming his fighting stance, he looked up to see Ricoshade glide towards him using his leathery wings. The Chinese man smiled while he clenched his fist and shot it forwards with his foot further propelling his arm, smashing Ricoshade in the face with a powerful punch and sending him flying backwards just as he had sent the Chinese assailant sprawling seconds earlier.

"Grrr…That was not cool, jefe," Ricoshade landed with a cartwheel and resumed his jinga. "Just what is your name, anyway?"

"…I am Feng Wei," the man finally spoke as he rolled up his left sleeve and revealed a bronze-colored device that was about as big as a computer mouse, with the two kanji "Tekken" etched in its sleek outer shell in rupy, emerald, and sapphire stripe. "I shall be the one who shall slay you."

As he said that, Feng stomped on the group and positioned his fingers so that only his middle and index fingers were sticking up, pushed together while his ki crackled across his body. After a second of powering up, the device uttered in a metallic voice, "Standing by…" Upon hearing the device, Feng quietly whispered into it a single word, which the device repeated instantly.

"Henshin."

A powerful orange glow enveloped the muscular Asian while he entered a Kempo stance and closed his eyes. Ricoshade's jinga slowed for a moment while he looked on in curiosity…but when the light faded, the bat realized what the light had meant. Feng was no longer there: in his place stood a powerful warrior sporting a fearsome combination of maroon, gold, and bronze.

Feng's torso adorned with shimmering golden body armor with two large shield-shaped maroon pads of the same color attached to it. Attached to the shoulder pads was a long, flowing bronze cape that flowed in the wind behind the Chinese fighters. Embedded in the body armor were three jewels that shone as man took deep, concentrated breaths: a ruby, a sapphire diamond, and an emerald. The rest of the body was covered with a bronze body-suit. Jutting from his knuckles were three silver knives sticking out like claws, and around the waist was a black belt, bond together with a golden buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." Two arm guards of the same color were wrapped around his wrists, and his boots shared the same pigment as the armguards. Feng's face, as well as his entire head, was masked with a bronze helmet that was perfectly round save for a long chain that jutted from the back of the helmet that had a distinct resemblance to Feng's braid.

And on the side of his helmet was the number "100," just like a number was on the helmets of the city's protectors, the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger.

"So that is your story," Ricoshade nodded his head before getting into a handstand and slowly spinning around and around. "My managers have told me that I am supposed to kill you: I shall do so now!" The spinning soon became faster and faster, until finally he was spinning like a top. Ricoshade began to ricochet rapidly across lampposts and trashcans surrounding the area like a pinball hitting targets as he made his way towards Feng Wei. Sometimes he would hit a Lizard-man minding its own business, and it would pay for its ignorance with death, their heads being cut off by the cyclonic speeds of Ricoshade's legs.

Feng Wei brushed back his long cape as resumed his fighting stance, causing the fabric to flow elegantly into the wind and making him seem almost beyond human. As he entered his stance, his eyes calmly followed Ricoshade as the bat gradually spiraled closer and closer to him. Finally, Ricoshade had bounced off yet another Lizardman and was certain to hit Feng as his next target. However, rather than getting his head chopped off like the reptilian warriors, Feng shot out his palm with a loud "HA!" and stopped Ricoshade's leg cold. Before the Capoeira Bat could do anything about it, his head was kicked off the ground and he went tumbling into the air. Feng contined the assault with a pair of walking punches and concluded with a shoulder strike that sent Ricoshade screeching across the pavement.

"You broke through my flawless rhythm, jefe!" Ricoshade pulled out his guitar as he pointed an accusing finger at Feng. "Now I shall have to make up for it with some music!" Putting his pointing hand to the strings of his guitar, Ricoshade proceded to strum his instrument calmly in what seemed to be the main guitar riff for "Smoke on the Water." However, after the tenth note, Ricoshade guitar shot forth a bolt of purple lightning at Feng Wei. Feng Wei calmly began to step towards Ricoshade while the bolt rocketed towards him. However, he did not attempt to endure the hit: instead, he kicked the bolt away with his foot, and redirected it to a telephone booth, which exploded upon the power of such a blast.

Ricoshade repeated the renowned riff once again, except this time, a bolt of lightning erupted from every note that he played. The first note Feng swatted away with his hand, altering its course to a Lizard-man that would be electrocuted instantly. The second and third came at the Chinese martial artist in succession, and he simply put up his arms and endured the shock, grunting in pain but refusing to slow his steady advance. The next four blasts arced wildly like a snake about to strike its prey. Anticipating where the lightning would hit, Feng casually took a step backwards and the lightning barely missed him, leaving black spots in the pavement where they struck. The remaining bolts of lighting followed a similar path as the first bolt, swatted away by Feng's blazing hands and redirected to hapless Lizard-men, which each of them exploding a fiery plume.

"Oh, you think that you're so tough just because you survived my warm-up, eh?" Ricoshade rolled his glowing yellow eyes as he lifted his playing arm high into the air. "Let's see how well you do against my main song!" With that remark, Ricoshade brought his hand down back to his guitar are played a rapid succession of notes, banging his head as the riff he created brought forth a massive volley of lightning streaks that closed in on Feng simultaneously.

Feng, however, did not cringe at seeing the bolts come at him. On the contrary, beneath his helmet, he couldn't help but smirk. The Chinese martial artist slowly began to roll his head around and around, his braided chain swingly wildly with each revolution. As the lighting became gradually closer, the chain began to glow bright red, as if it were being heated over an intense flame. Then, just when the lightning was about to strike him, Feng's braid absorbed the entire volley like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust.

Ricoshade concluded his riff with a long buzz as he looked up to see what he expected to be Feng's smoldering corpse, but instead found the Chinese man rushing at the bat with a full run, his braid glowing blue and crackling with electricity. The Capoeira Bat tried to play his guitar and thus send another bolt of lightning out, but Feng was already within striking distance. Like a snake, his braided chain lashed out at Ricoshade and coiled around the bat's neck, sending all of the pent-up electricity into the winged rodent's body.

"Now that I have you where I want you," Feng said coldly as he whipped his head around to send Ricoshade sprawling behind him. "I would like you to answer a question: who created you?"

"…you sure have a very unfriendly way of asking people questions, amigo," Ricoshade was still shaking from the electrocution as he got back up onto his feet. "I will not tell you anything: maybe if you had said please and thank you, it might have been different."

"…I see," Feng Wei put his fist in front of him and gently placed it in his other hand as he bowed his head. "Forgive my rudeness. I have another request to make…"

"And just what is that?"

"…please die now."

As Feng requested the bat's demise, his hand began to glow a bright orange and once again took calm steps towards Ricoshade. Ricoshade growled from the bottom of his throat and lifted his guitar high in the air. "I am sorry, amigo, but I would need you to go ahead of me!" The bat screeched and ran towards Feng Wei with his guitar raised. However, just as the instrument was about to come down on Feng's head, the Chinese martial artist ducked under the horizontal swing and shot out his glowing hand right into the bat's chest.

Time stood still for a few seconds while Feng's white-hot palm remained on his chest while Ricoshade dropped his guitar. The hairs on the bat's chest sizzled and burned during that awful silence, until Feng finally broke the quiet atmosphere by shouting, "Behold…my Hand of Judgement!"

A glowing fissure appeared on Ricoshade's chest where he had been struck, and it slowly began to spread across the rest of his body, creating bigger and larger fissures. In mere seconds the fissures had appeared all across the Capoeria Bat. "You really know how to crack people up, amigo," The bat shouted as he knew that death was quickly approaching him. "I'll be sure to give you an encore when I see you in hell!" Once he said that, Ricoshade exploded into front of Feng Wei in a massive red fireball. As the dust faded, Feng gently lowered his hand and looked around. There were still Lizard-men he would have to deal with…

…if not for the fact that all of the Lizard-men were either dead or unconscious, and standing among the field of bodies was a man dressed in royal blue spandex with plantium body armor that sported a sapphire jewel on the chest. The man's wrists and boots were the same color as the body armor, and blue gloves that were studded with golden spikes. Around his waist was a golden belt, bond together with a platinum buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." The man's face, and his entire head, was now covered with a round blue helmet, with only black visor with gold trim in front of the eyes allowing for sight. At the side of the visor on both sides was the number "3" written in gold.

"Well, that was quite a show you put on, guv," ShinkenBlue clapped his hands in applause as he stepped over the unconscious Lizard-men. "Lei Wulong gave you a second chance, and you're already doing your civic duty."

"…what do you want?" Feng said coldly while he turned away and proceded to leave.

"Oh come now, Feng," ShinkenBlue ignored the Chinese man's lack of pleasantries and proceded to follow him. "It's obvious that we're on the same side: if you wound up with one of those gadgets, then you're probably meant to help us."

"…don't be foolish."

ShinkenBlue blinked beneath his helmet as Feng said that without any sort of emotion. "Come again?"

"I said don't be foolish," Feng slowly turned his head around as he repeated what he had said earlier. "I don't want to work with you."

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud," ShinkenBlue chuckled slightly as he walked over and grabbed Feng's shoulder. "Come on, I'll treat you to a few rounds at this nice little pub I-"

ShinkenBlue's sentence was interrupted as Feng grabbed his hand and tossed him over his shoulder. The Shinkenger fell flat on his back while Feng stomped on his chest. ShinkenBlue quickly rolled away and scrambled back onto his feet to catch his breath. "What do you think you're doing, mate?"

"I thought you were wiser than this, Steve Fox," Feng spat out as he assumed a fighting stance. "You assume that I am an ally simply because of my appearance? You don't know why I dispatched that creature or what I'm doing here…"

"Well you have me there, chum," Steve shook his head before performing a small boxing kata and assuming a fighting stance. "But if you want to stir up trouble, then I'll be happy to oblige!'

However, the instant that Steve blinked his eyes, Feng was already a mere two steps in front of him. _No way, _Steve thought as he controlled his surprise by throwing a powerful right hook, _how did he get so fast? _Unfortunately for Steve, Feng parried the punch while his sapphire diamond on his chest flashed. Feng shot out his blue-tinted palm at Steve, and from the blow came a thick sheet of ice that spread across Steve's body like a drop of dye would spread through clear water. Steve stuggled in vain to break free from his icy cage, as it eventually covered his entire body with the exception of his head. "…and just what do you think you're doing, mate?"

"The ice that you are sheathed in should only last for an hour," Feng answered with that same serious tone while he began to walk away. "When you break free, be sure to tell your comrades that it would be best to stay out of my way if they value their well-being. ShinkenBronze does not tolerate interference." The Chinese man stopped for a moment before turning his head and continuing. "Also, tell Asuka that I await our next bout with great anticipation."

----------

_And then there were seven…_

_Just when I was starting to become accustomed to dealing with six Shinkengers, that Chinese buffoon garners up the audacity to barge in totally unexpectedly and unnecessarily under the guise of "ShinkenBronze." Fortunately for me, his ulterior motives for donning the costume made him just as much of an enemy of the Shinkengers as he was for me. Obviously, I was unaware of exactly what these ulterior motives happened to be at that time. _

_  
However, it would make little difference in the long run. He was certain to become yet another thorn in my side, so drastic measures would have to be taken._

_While the Lizard-men were having their fun, I spent most of the day tirelessly hacking into Interpol records involving the other six Shinkengers. This data not only included fingerprints and birth certificates, but also hospital and psychiatric records. My next plan to stop the Shinkengers would involve creating a rift between them. In order to do so, however, I would have to know what made them tick._

_Once I had felt that I had gathered enough information, I proceded to create yet another creature. This one would be far different from the ones that had come before it, as it did not know any martial art nor have the ability to speak…at least, not right away. I began work on my creation shortly after I had eaten a decent meal, and I completed the creation shortly after dusk._

_My creature did not have any distinguishable features: it was, simply put, a dark blue gelatinous blob. It moaned and slithered as it stuggled to maintain a constant form, bearing a more-than-slight resemblance to the title character of a certain classic horror film._

"_What is it?" Astaroth had said when he first laid eyes on the creature. "It looks like a glob of clay."_

"_A very accurate description, Astaroth," I replied while I watched the nameless blob continue to squirm. "Like any ball of clay, he or she will be ours to mold to our liking. Fortunately for us, I know just what to shape it into." That being said, I pull a small test tube out of my pocket. The tube's liquid contents glowed bright neon green, pulsating with the evil power that I would soon give to the clay._

"_Astaroth," I continued as I carefully removed the rubber stopper and carefully spilt two drops of liquid onto the pale blue blob that continued to move around. "Did I ever tell you that my son happens to be ShinkenRed?"_

"_WHAT!?" Astaroth raised his white eyes in surprise. "I thought I noticed a resemblance between you two!"_

"_Seven years ago, ShinkenRed's mother was believed to have been killed by a legendary beast called Toshin, the God of Fighting. For the four years following the incident where he believed her murdered, Jin was consumed with rage and hate, and this was when his Devilish powers began to sprout. What we witnessed via satellite during the Shamutori incident was, in truth, that same power. For a time, I desired to reclaim this power that he inherited from my genes. However, that time has passed… for the moment."_

_A few seconds after I dropped the green liquid on its body, the blob squealed and began to pulsate rapidly. It started to rise like a loaf of bread as its physical structure reacted to the liquid, just as I knew it would. Once it had risen to around eight feet in height, the creature slowly an inexorably grew arms and legs. "The resulting battle between my son and Toshin resulted in the latter's apparent demise. The liquid I have given this creature is in truth the blood of the God of Fighting."_

"_I see," Astaroth stroked his chin thoughtfully, as he seemed to have a good understanding of my plan…until he said something monumentally stupid, "…so you have a wife."_

"_First of all, she's not my wife," I snapped back as my patience wore thin. "Second, that is not the point. The point is that this creature can mimic the generic structure of any organic or inorganic material it touches, including sweat and blood," As I spoke, the creature finally began to take on the appearance that I had hoped it would assume. Its mid-section was clothed in a gray loin cloth that was protected by a piece of silver armor. Shoulder and knee pads of the same cover clung to its joints, and stone armguards were buckled onto its wrists. The rest of its near-bare body was a deep shade of navy blue, its dark red hair flowing freely from its exotic silver hat. When its glowing crimson eyes found its way towards the golem standing next to me, I completed my sentence._

"_Astaroth…meet the Doppelganger, also known as 'False Ogre.'"_


	15. Episode 14: Doppelganger

This is the week Playstation 3 comes out. So how many of you are getting it first month. And if so...where do you work, so I can apply there and maybe afford one! Sony angered me greatly when they shut down lik-sang, so it better blow me away so I can get one in like 2008!

Onto the show!

_-----------_

_6:00 PM_

_15th day since the Marunouchi incident_

The Zozoji Temple, located in the Tokyo garden district, is one of the oldest known temples in Japan, built in the year 1393 and moved to its current location in 1590 by the Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is now the main temple of the Jodo Buddhist sect in the Kanto region of Japan. Being that it was once the main Buddhist temple of the Tokugawa Shogunate, a mausoleum of the Tokugawa family can still be found on the grounds of the temple, and the crest of the Tokugawa family still decorates the family temple.

Within the grounds of Zozoji temple was not only the graveyard of former Tokugawa family, but a beautiful flower garden and shrine as well as the great cedar tree planted in 1869 when President Ulysses S. Grant visited Japan. With numerous Buddha statues dotting the area, there was truly something spiritual about the garden, with the late afternoon sun amplifying the

One Korean by the name of Hwoarang didn't seem to agree with the serene setting as he kicked the massive cedar tree nearby the inner sanctum of the temple for the ninetieth time, continuing his rigorous training. Two days prior, Jin had fallen ill to a nasty fever after spending the day with Xiaoyu. Although Jin was feeling much better the day after, he was still not back to his full strength, so he roughly placed Hwoarang in charge until he was fully restored.

And on that very same day, a new Shinkenger appeared and handled the "monster of the day," as Asuka referred to them. However, when Steve arrived on the scene and offered the man a spot on the team, the newcomer repaid his kindness with a gratuitous freezing palm. This man, who Steve identified as the King of Iron Fist competitor Feng Wei, could have been every bit their enemy as the mysterious foe they had been combating for the past two weeks, and that meant more headaches for the Shinkengers.

With Jin still resting, Hwoarang was now their power player, and he intended to answer with flying colors when this Feng Wei decided to face the Shinkengers directly. He hadn't done any truly rigorous training since he left Seoul, so he went to the temple to work out by kicking the most powerful tree he could find and kick it one hundred times. It was a tried-and-true method of strengthening one's legs that was utilized by numerous other martial arts, and a trademark of Baek Doo San's particular brand of Tae Kwan Do.

_And that's number one-hundred,_ Hwoarang screamed in his mind as he put his ki into his final kick and sent bark flying off the old tree, leaving his mark on the massive landmark and taking a deep breath. _Kazama and the others should be here soon, and until he can top the one-hundred mark, I'm still going to be the one in charge. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm kind of hoping he does: pursuing vengeance and being a leader at the same time is tough…_

"Hey there, mate!"

Hwoarang turned around as he heard a familiar voice while he picked up his water bottle. Coming up from behind was Steve, wearing his normal attire of navy blue leather pants, light blue knit shirt, and nose-pinch glasses. "Hey there, Steve," the Korean gave a nod to his English comrade before taking a swig of his water bottle. "Why are you here so early?"

"The others are waiting for you out in the front," Steve replied, "They sent me out to find you so we don't have to go running circles around this place trying to find you."

"Heh…too lazy to go out and find me by themselves, huh?" Hwoarang chuckled a bit before getting his feet in motion and casually making his way towards the entrance of the temple. "Are you coming, Steve?"

"In a bit, chum," The blonde boxer put his hands in his pockets as answered with an unspoken no. "I'm going to do some training in this tree myself. Tell the others I'll be with them shortly…"

--------

_6:03 PM_

It had gone according to plan.

As soon as Hwoarang had left its eyesight, the one who had been posing as Steve smiled as it began walking up the flight of stairs that led to the inner sanctum. Its master had given him the genetic code of the Shinkengers that would be absorbed into his being and served to his master. However, he had only given him enough to assume their appearance, so in order to be able to mimic the powers that its master wanted, it would need an extra power boost.

As the imposter swung the doors of the inner sanctum open, it stepped inside and took a deep whiff of the air. It had a faint scent of blood to it: it would seem that there had been a battle within this inner sanctum not too awfully long ago. In addition to the smell of human flesh that the shrine keepers had obviously attempted to wash away, there was an enormous amount of spiritual energy emanating from the large Buddha statue in the middle of the room.

Seeing that it was pointless at the moment to spend its energy on maintaining its disguise, the imposter's body began to twist and melt while it returned to its natural form: a gargantuan blue humanoid wearing silver armor with long dark red hair flowing from its helmet. The creature's voice was now completely devoid of emotion while it reminded itself of the name that its master had given him: False Ogre.

With its tall frame walking over to the Buddha statue, False Ogre put its large hand on the statue. Its red eyes glowed ominously as it soaked in the spiritual energy that lied within the golden idol. The statue glowed in unison with False Ogre's eyes, almost as if the statue was trying to ebb the flow of power. _Absorb all you can muster, _its master had told False Ogre before it left to go on its mission. _You'll need every ounce of energy to combat this most worthy adversary. _The doppelganger's skin pulsated while its power continued to increase, bringing it ever so closer to invincibility.

However, before it could complete its feeding process, it felt the presence of one of the Shinkengers coming closer to his position. False Ogre only needed two seconds to discover who it was: ShinkenSilver, who along with ShinkenWhite was the youngest member of the team at 18 years of age, but it made him no less dangerous a foe. When its master gave it the minor genetic samples of the Shinkengers, False Ogre also obtained some of its memories. There was one form in particular that would allow it to get close enough to the Japanese young man and dispose of him with little resistance. False Ogre's body once again began to change shape as the door of the inner sanctum slowly opened to reveal a Japanese young man with ruffled brown hair wearing a white knit shirt and a pair of gray khakis.

When the boy entered the sanctum, he saw not the abnormally tall figure of False Ogre, but instead a voluptuous teenage Japanese girl wearing a silver sleeveless jacket and shorts, and white sports bra. "How did you get here, Asuka," the boy asked the imposter as he took a step forward what he believed to be his longtime friend, Asuka Kazama. "I thought you were still with the others."

"…I guess I wanted to surprise you, Kenichi," the doppelganger said with a deceivingly warm smile as it didn't break it turned around to greet its first victim. "This place brings back a lot of memories…"

"Indeed," Kenichi's voice became solemn as he flashed back to a mere three weeks ago, where a madman by the name of Jean Sorel attacked the two of them at this very temple, and awakened a deadly and unstoppable force within Asuka that almost killed Kenichi if not for timely intervention from his current sensei, Yoshimitsu. "The scar on my back is a souvenir from this place that will follow me around forever…but I do not feel shame from it: it's a memento of the good things that happened that night…it serves as proof of our friendship…"

The doppelganger raised its eyebrow as the memories of those events were not very clear to it. "What do you mean?"

"…this is where we had our first kiss," Kenichi raised his own eyebrow in curiosity. "How could you forget?"

"…I didn't forget. I guess I just had my mind elsewhere." The doppelganger's disguise was wearing thin: Kenichi was a sharp boy, and he was certainly beginning to suspect something was amiss. If False Ogre didn't do something soon, it would be exposed far quicker than the doppelganger would have hoped.

_Kiss him, _its master's voice buzzed through the miniature radio in its ear, barking out that simple command. _The sample of his blood I gave you was taken before he was bonded with the ShinkenSilver morpher; if you can acquire a saliva sample, then you can mimic some of its powers. Don't worry: a boy like Masamune will play like putty in your hands._

As the radio cut off, False Ogre quickly searched its mind, hoping to find a means of how to do so. After a couple of seconds, it used its feminine form to slowly walk towards Kenichi. "Kenichi…do you love me?"

The Japanese boy's cheek reddened significantly: just the reaction that the doppelganger was hoping for. "What…what do you mean?"

Continuing its ploy, False Ogre slowly backed its "boyfriend" into the wall and slowly wraps its arm around him. "It's just as I said: do you love me? Even after all of the things I've done to you?"

"Y-yeah," Kenichi stuttered his reply as he couldn't help but notice that "Asuka's" face was becoming gradually closer to his. "I…guess so."

"I'm glad you said that, Kenichi. Let me give you something to remember this visit to the temple." As it said that, the doppelganger shamelessly pressed its lips against his. Their lips remained locked for a good ten seconds as the doppelganger collected as much genetic samples as it could from this blushing and confused boy. However, Kenichi quickly pushed the doppelganger off after those ten seconds and assumed a fighting stance.

"Thank you for the kiss," he said with his trademark calm and collected tone, "but I'm afraid I'm spoken for. Just who are you, anyway?"

"What are you talking about, Kenichi? I'm your fri-"

"I suspected something when you started making advances, but what confirmed it was the kiss. Even if Asuka-chan did want to make an advance like that (which she wouldn't unless she had been drinking sake like she sometimes does even though she's not supposed to), her lips do not feel like yours. Now please answer my question: who are you?"

The doppelganger smiled as its skin began to darken. "You are certainly a bright one, Kenichi. It'll be a shame that I'll have to defeat you in a most painful manner." As it said that, its shape began to change…

------------------

_6:05 PM_

Kenichi watched in shock he watched the stranger that had been posing as his friend and rival began to alter its shape. The imposter hissed and gargled while its skin liquefied and its bones melted until its body became a large glob of gelatinous goop, and then like the blob of clay that is was, reshaped itself into something much more sinister.

Its new form's mid-section was clothed in a gray loin cloth that was protected by a piece of silver armor. Shoulder and knee pads of the same cover clung to its joints, and stone armguards were buckled onto its wrists. The rest of its near-bare body was a deep shade of navy blue, its dark red hair flowing freely from its exotic silver hat. When its glowing crimson eyes found its way towards the boy, Kenichi's eyes widened. The aura this creature gave off was easily one of the most sinister he had ever witnessed, and being that he had once confronted Jean Sorel, known by his fellow martial artists as "the Face of Madness," that was saying an awful lot.

Before Kenichi could even react, the doppelganger's long leg kicked Kenichi in the head and sent him spiraling onto the floor. No one had ever hit him that hard: not Asuka, not Jean, and not even the mighty Craig Marduk. _Remarkable, _Kenichi thought as he quickly got back up to his feet and shook off the dizziness that such a kick inflicted. _He's even more powerful than Kamikaze-san! And to think that he kissed me! _

Kenichi realized that he didn't stand a chance against someone so powerful the way he was, and thus his activated his morpher by gathering his dark red ki, which quickly lost its pigment as his morpher transformed his energy into his ShinkenSilver suit. The Japanese youth narrowly avoided the doppelganger's lunging arm and resumed his fighting stance. "Come forth, demon. I accept your challenge!"

As if to acknowledge Kenichi's challenge, the doppelganger's upper leg began to change shape, as if something was coming out of it. After a couple of seconds, a thin hump was jutting out of the creature's knee. The doppelganger grabbed the hump and began to pull on it like a farmer would pull out produce from the ground. After a second of tugging, the doppelganger ripped out the spike and revealed it to be a dark purple katana with a flame-like design, just like Kenichi's…

Controlling his surprise, Kenichi quickly advanced towards the doppelganger with a horizontal slash, but he was stopped with a powerful punch to his stomach that caused him to crumple over. The Japanese youth coughed up blood underneath his helmet and quickly rolled away from what would have been a lethal stab from the doppelganger's katana. As he rose back up, Kenichi punched the eight-foot-tall doppelganger with a powerful straight punch. For anyone else, the opponent would have been knocked off their feet, but the doppelganger only took a few steps back and dropped its katana.

The Japanese youth continued the assault by running up the wall that he was next to as high up as he could, and then propelling himself off of it to hit the doppelganger in its blue face with a powerful diving kick that left a streak of white ki in his wake. However, the doppelganger seemed relatively unfazed as it shook off the blow as quickly as it had received it. Kenichi pressed onward with five left-handed punches to the creature's abdomen, followed by a powerful roundhouse kick to its midsection.

Unfortunately for Kenichi, the creature returned the assault in kind by bashing the boy in the chest with a powerful pair of knee strikes followed by a duo of low kicks and a vertical thrusting leg which sent Kenichi crashing into the ceiling. The doppelganger continued its onslaught by snatching the bishonen out of the air as he was about to fall and slamming him into the ground with a powerful choke slam, followed by a series of mounted punches. Kenichi used all of his might to kick the tall creature off and roll back onto his feet.

_I have to end this now: I'm clearly outmatched, and I won't survive a prolonged fight with this…monster, _Kenichi drew his katana and rotated it clockwise while the doppelganger picked up his own katana and mimicked the young man's actions. As the two completed their revolution, Kenichi's katana glowed bright green while the doppelganger's weapon shone with a dark red color. The two fighters readied their weapons as they eyed their opponent warily, with the doppelganger's red orbs burning into Kenichi's soul.

Kenichi's wings glowed bright blue as he suddenly dashed towards the doppelganger with blinding speed. To his surprise, the doppelganger ran towards Kenichi with equally impressive momentum. The two fighters passed each other with a shower of sparks marking that they had indeed hit their marks. They screeched to a halt with Kenichi facing the door and the doppelganger facing the great Buddha stature. Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds, until Kenichi roared in pain as he gripped where he had been slashed. It had cut right through his armor: he was bleeding, although it was nothing immediately fatal. _How…can I stop this creature? _

The Japanese boy turned around while still gripping his abdomen to see the doppelganger slowly turn around and walk towards Kenichi. It had a large gash on its chest where Kenichi had cut it, like a mark left in a blob of clay, but it was quickly closing up. The doppelganger remained silent as it reached Kenichi and sent him sailing out the door with a monstrous kick to his face.

-----

_6:08 PM_

"I'm telling you, Steve came up to me and said to meet you guys at the front," Hwoarang protested as he and the other Shinkengers approached the massive cedar tree that the Korean martial artist had been training under. When Hwoarang saw the others at the entrance, he was quite surprised to see Steve was there with them. As the group made their way towards the cedar tree, Hwoarang was shocked to learn that Steve had never even left their group.

"Hwoarang, while you were training…did you by any chance do head butt exercises?" Steve had asked jokingly. Hwoarang certainly did not find anything humorous about it, unlike Asuka and Xiaoyu. "I've been here the whole time, so maybe you just imagined it."

"I know what I saw," Hwoarang continued to make his case as they finally reached the cedar tree. "As sure as we're standing here, you came up to me and told me that you were going to stay here while I met the others up at the front."

Suddenly, the doors of the inner sanctum swung open and shot out the body of ShinkenSilver as if the sacred room was spitting him out. With his metallic wings shining in the sunset, Kenichi plummeted past the stairs and right into the five Shinkengers that saved him from crashing into the hard earth. The dark visor of Kenichi's helmet had been cracked, revealing the boy's shocked Prussian blue eyes, and his body armor had suffered a deep cut that revealed a thin gash into his flesh underneath.

"Oh my god," Asuka quickly unbuckled Kenichi's helmet and held him close to her. "Kenichi, what the hell happened? You look like you just went through a blender!"

The Japanese young man moaned as he regained his senses and tried to stand back up. "There's a monster in that temple. He can change his shape and mimic a person's every move, and even assume some of their powers." Kenichi pointed to the cut in his body armor. "He even reproduced my sword."

"So maybe what Hwoarang met was an imposter," Jin stroked his chin as he looked up to the open temple doors. "Come on, guys, time to go to-"

However, the Japanese man stopped in mid-sentence as he froze upon gazing at the creature standing at the top of the stairs that led to the inner sanctum. _How can this be? _Jin thought through a wave of panic that surged across his body. _How can he still be alive? I killed him…I saw him die! _

"Holy shit," Hwoarang murmured with shock as he slowly backed away until he was next to Jin. "I thought you beat him already…"

"Who the hell is he supposed be," Asuka shouted out arrogantly, oblvious to Jin and Hwoarang's horror, "the jolly blue giant? And what's with that armored bikini?"

"That's Ogre," Xiaoyu exclaimed, trying to contain her own panic. "That thing ramaged around the world three years ago killing and maiming martial artists everywhere. He almost killed Jin's mom and Hwoarang's sensei!" As she said that, Xiaoyu's morpher crackled with power, causing her ShinkenYellow suit to form across her body. Once her helmet had materialized, she assumed a fighting stance. "Come on, everyone! If we work as a team, we'll take him down for sure!"

Steve and Asuka quickly followed suit while Kenichi quickly picked up his helmet and clipped it back on. "Steve, Asuka," Kenichi nodded to his two friends as their ShinkenBlue and ShinkenWhite suits formed across their bodies. "Be very careful: it seems he can also regenerate any damage he sustains if you leave him alone long enough." As he warned his friends, "Ogre" jumped off of the top of the stairs with a massive leap and landed right in front of the Shinkenger team with a powerful slam that left a shallow crater in his wake.

"Kazama, this is our chance to take him out once and for all," Hwoarang regained his composure and morphed into ShinkenBlack. As he turned to face Jin, Hwoarang's helmet materialized over his face. "Are you with me?"

Jin nodded as he gathered his red ki, causing his morpher to overflow with crimson power. His ShinkenRed suit formed across his muscular frame as he and his rival took a few steps forward to join the others. "OK everyone, stay sharp," Jin and the others assumed a fighting stance as their enemy straightened itself and clenched its fists. "Let's take him down fast and hard!"

Before the sextet could strike, however, False Ogre reared back and sent all of them flying backwards in different directions with a sudden shockwave of energy that surrounded the shapeshifter's entire body. Once again using its impressive leaping ability (partially gained from obtaining Kenichi's saliva), False Ogre took to the air and plummeted down towards where Hwoarang and Kenichi had landed. The two young men roared in agony as each of them received a crushing foot to their backs as 350 pounds of muscle and bone landed on top of them. When Asuka and Xiaoyu came running to their aid, they were repelled by a stream of fire that erupted from the doppelganger's mouth.

When the creature looked down, it noticed that its two victims were gone. It wouldn't have to search far, as it was pounded in the back by a pair of kicks that caused it to teeter over like a tree in the wind. However, it quickly turned around to pound Kenichi in the head, shattering it and sending him spiraling into the ground. Kenichi, who had already been seriously wounded from facing the creature earlier, fell into unconsciousness as the blow hit the pressure point in his jaw while his suit dissipated in a flash of white light.

Hwoarang stepped over his partner and resumed his assault by bombarding False Ogre with a quartet of kicks, the last of which lifted the monster off the ground. The Korean's wrath continued to bombard the creature's body as Hwoarang jumped up into the air and hit the doppelganger with a series of spinning kicks. As he was about to conclude to barrage with an aerial axe kick, False Ogre's eyes glowed again as he righted himself in midair, catching the falling leg as the two fighters fell back down to the ground. The doppelganger's face remained devoid of emotion while it slammed Hwoarang into nearby rock with a fearsome power bomb. Hwoarang's helmet shattered as his blood trinkled down his face while he laid face-down onto the rock.

Before False Ogre could deliver a killing blow to the Korean Shinkenger as he struggled to get back up, He was hit in the face by an enraged Asuka. "Look what you've done to Kenichi," she shouted as she spun around three times before sending False Ogre reeling back in pain from her Spinning Heel Drop. "I'll never forgive you, monster!" As Asuka's hand reached the creature's chest, False Ogre grabbed her wrist that was mere centimeters away from his body. Ignoring how the hand was furiously flashing with light pink ki, False Ogre's own hand glowed bright red as rainbow-colored energy flowed from his body to Asuka's. The teenager screamed in pain for a few moments, and then suddenly slumped over into False Ogre's arms.

_Remember, I would prefer if you took all of them alive, _False Ogre's headset radio buzzed once again as it prepared to squeeze the life out of the voluptuous teenage girl. _Just put her gently down next to the young Masamune and Hwoarang. _Obeying its master's command, False Ogre kicked Hwoarang in the face as he was trying to grab onto his ankle, causing the Korean to finally fall into unconscious. Once it did that, it walked over to the fallen Kenichi and placed his fallen lover down next to him.

"Hwoarang-kun! Kenichi-kun," Xiaoyu cried out to her friends as she saw them sprawled out across False Ogre. "Asuka-san, too!" She was about to rush towards her fallen comrades when Steve put his hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing, Steve? Let me go, we have to help them!"

"We're going to in just a moment, luv," Steve said as he let go of Xiaoyu's shoulder and assumed a fighting stance. "First we need to think of some sort of plan-WHOA!" Steve's speech was interrupted as Jin came rushing past him with his fist raised and his ki crackling. To Jin, this was the very same creature that almost killed his mother: it deserved nothing less than complete and utter obliteration, in a swift but painful manner. Jin pummeled False Ogre with a series of punches and kicks, finishing with a low blow to the doppelganger's shin. Not giving False Ogre a chance to react, Jin sent the monster spiraling to the ground with a devastating Omen Wind Hook Fist.

Jin went running after False Ogre with Xiaoyu leaving Steve's side to join him. The two fighters' hands glowed in unison with red and yellow ki as they prepared to attack the doppelganger with their most devastating technique: the Tekkenshu Maelstrom. Unfortunately for them, False Ogre quickly regained its footing and evaded the two blasts by liquefying itself and slithering underneath the onslaught. Before Jin and Xiaoyu realized what was going on, their necks were wrapped in the python-like grip of False Ogre's clay-like arms as the creature liquefied in front of them with his limbs now in the form of tentacles. After a couple of seconds, they reformed into more humanoid arms, but its hands were still around its victims' necks.

Jin and Xiaoyu struggled to break free, pounding False Ogre's arms in vain while Steve tried to free them by attacking the creature's abdomen. However, the doppelganger did not flinch nor show any sign of pain as its lethal grip tightened, and Jin and Xiaoyu's struggling slowed…

…until False Ogre was suddenly sent flying forwards, dropping Jin and Xiaoyu but taking Steve with him as the two crashed into the ground as a result from a devastating blow from behind. Steve used the momentum to kick the gargantuan pale blue entity off of him as he landed on his back just as he hit the ground, preventing the creature from crushing him underneath its formidable weight and propelling False Ogre's flight further until it hit a brick temple wall.

Steve looked up at where Jin and Xiaoyu were lying unconscious but still breathing, and he saw a familiar sight: a bronze-clad figure with a long flowing maroon cape, wearing gold body armor with three different colored jewels on his chest, and three iron claws jutting from each wrist. It was none other than Feng Wei, the man who had encased Steve Fox in ice the day before. "Out of my way, Steve Fox," Feng said as he brushed back his cape and spun the chain jutting from his helmet around. "This is my fight now: interfere at your own peril!"

And with that, Feng ran past Steve and towards the stunned Ogre, who was already beginning to regain its footing…


	16. Episode 15: Judgment Time

OK, I was mistaken: THIS is the week PS3 comes out in America. How many of you are getting it? I sure as hell aren't!

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Steve looked at his blue-skinned foe that had been sent flying away by Feng Wei before turning to the bronze-clad Chinese man. Minutes before, Steve and the other Shinkengers had arrived at the Zozoji temple to meet up with Hwoarang to see if Jin was ready to resume leadership of the team. They were surprised to learn from the Korean that Steve had supposedly already met up with him and said to greet the others at the front gate, though the British warrior had been with the others the entire time.

The answer to such a paradox was soon answered as Kenichi, who had gone on ahead to visit the inner sanctum, was tossed from the long flight of stairs by a giant monster who Xiaoyu claimed to be the monstrous God of Fighting: Ogre. The six Shinkengers quickly engaged their blue-skinned adversary, but not even their combined might could topple the shape-shifting behemoth. With the ability to assume the powers of anyone whose genetice material it acquired, the monster dispatched the young martial artists one by one, until only Steve was left standing.

But when the boxer prepared to engage the monster one-on-one, Feng Wei attacked "Ogre" from behind and sent him crashing into a brick wall. The Chinese man was wearing the very same armor that he used when he attacked Steve that day before, and all Steve could wonder was if Feng was there to help him, or finish him off personally.

"Out of my way, Steve Fox," Feng said as he brushed back his cape and spun the chain jutting from his helmet around. "This is my fight now: interfere at your own peril!" Once Feng had issued his warning, he rushed pasted the blue-clad Englishman and prepared to engage the doppelganger that was already back on its feet. _Well, I guess that answers my concerns for now, _Steve thought as he watched False Ogre snatched Feng out of the air when the Chinese man attempted a flying kick and slam the muscular Asian into the brick wall that it had just crashed into moments ago. _But what's going to happen once it's all over?_

Feng quickly shook off the dizziness induced from being slammed into a brick wall just in time to side-step a devastating punch from False Ogre. The force of the creature's blow was so intense that it punched a hole through the thick wall and allowed its fist to enter the innards of the wall. As False Ogre struggled to remove his hand from the formation of bricks, Feng again tried for a powerful flying kick. This time, the bronze warrior hit his mark and hit False Ogre in the head. A sharp cracking sound was heard, and the doppelganger suddenly slumped forward as its glowing eyes gradually faded.

_No way, _Steve watched in wonder, totally in disbelief at what he just witnessed. _He broke the bloke's neck like it was nothing! _

Suddenly, False Ogre's free arm sprung to life and grabbed a startled Feng's throat. With its head still grotesquely dangling lifelessly, the doppelganger tossed Feng into the hard ground with a power with a fearsome choke slam. The doppelganger placed its foot on Feng's chest as to hold him still, then grabbed its head and twisted it. After a few seconds of cracking and popping, its neck had returned to its proper position.

Roaring in pain as False Ogre stomped on his chest, Feng grabbed its long blue leg as it attempted a fifth stop. With his hands glowing bright red, the Chinese man dug his hands into its ankles and ripped its foot off. Now free of False Ogre's crushing leg, Feng rolled away as the doppelganger's foot regenerated while it hopped after the Chinese man.

Despite that its foot was still in the process of regenerating itself, False Ogre proved no less dangerous a foe, attacking Feng with a series of punches: a pair of left handed fists followed by a right straight then sent him screeching across the ground. As Feng scrambled back onto his feet, he was rewarded for his tenacity with a powerful punt to his chest that sent him flying into the great cedar tree that highlighted the temple with his new, fully regenerated foot.

The Chinese warrior landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet as he quickly examined his ShinkenBronze suit for any dents or scratches. After a few seconds to make sure that his suit was fully intact, he let out a shout and entered his Kempo stance with his hands open. Feng quickly used his head to motion the doppelganger towards him. False Ogre complied by rushing at its opponent at a full run. Unfortunately for False Ogre, it was just the reaction that Feng was hoping for, and was punished for its hasty action with a spinning backhanded fist to its neck. Temporarily stunned, False Ogre gripped its neck in pain and was left vulnerable to a punch to his chest that was quickly followed by a forward palm that forced it flying away from Feng.

False Ogre landed on its feet and screeched to a halt by crouching down and skidding on its knee. It remained in that position for a few moments, remaining perfectly still while its crimson eyes continued to glow softly. The creature's simple mind became gradually more complex as it replayed the past events of the battle that it was currently engaged in. This "ShinkenBronze" was unexpected: it had not acquired any sort of genetic material nor psychological profile on him when it left its master's side. "Who was this man?" Its simple mind asked itself as False Ogre stood back up. "What business did he have with my master?"

So engrossed was it in its train of thought that False Ogre did not see Feng get close enough to him and ramming his elbow into the creature, causing it to be sent sprawling right back into the brick wall that it had collided with the first time the Chinese man had struck it. This time however, Feng Wei was not about to let the creature get a chance to breathe. Running up to the creature, the bronze-clad warrior resumed his assault with a powerful arcing vertical kick that hit the doppelganger squarely in its chin. Feng followed up with a second arcing kick, forcing False Ogre to flying into the air with its back still pressed against the wall. The monster was further pressed into the wall with Feng Wei continuing the offensive with a monstrous elbow thrust. The Chinese warrior finally concluded its onslaught with a rapid series of swipes with the claws jutting from his knuckles.

Feng Wei flipped away and waited for False Ogre to come after him. The Kempo expert's breathing was heavy and sweat was pouring down his face beneath his helmet. Beneath the mask, he was smiling. The more this creature withstood his attacks, the more violently it would retaliate. It would seem that he had found a truly worthy opponent in the blue-skinned behemoth…

However, Steve had brashly run in front of Feng as False Ogre came running at him, sending it flying backwards with a devastating Hellfire blow that left a flash of ki in its wake. "You fool," Feng growled as he grabbed Steve from behind. "You cost me a victory that would have been earned by myself!" Using all of his mighty strength, Feng angrily threw Steve behind him as far as he could, but the British man landed on his feet gracefully.

"Listen, I'm not trying to rain on your parade," Steve protested as he ran back up to Feng Wei. "I'm trying to keep you from getting beaten down like the rest of us. Haven't you noticed how he keeps regenerating himself? Maybe if we tried approaching him-"

Steve was unable to finish his sentence as Feng attacked him with a forward palm that the British boxer barely had time to avoid. "I warned you to stay out of my way. Now you will suffer the consequences under my Hand of Judgment!"

"What?" Steve backed away as he put down his fists and crossed his arms. "Don't be daft: I'm not going to fight you right here and now…especially not with ol' blue there coming after you."

Feng darted around just in time to get a boot in his face, sending him flying backwards and landing on his back with a sickening thud. As False Ogre was about to pursue, Steve once again stepped in and pummeled the creature with a rapid flurry of jabs to the gut, concluding with a devastating uppercut that caused it to reel back in pain.

False Ogre flipped back onto its feet and retaliated with a two of kicks, the first two striking at Steve's shin and the last of which rocketing Steve up into the air with vertical straight kick. Using its incredible leaping ability, False Ogre leapt up after its foe with a awe-inspiring vertical jump. The doppelganger pummeled Steve with a rapid series of blows and concluded by snatching him out of the air and spiraling downwards. The two hit the ground with Steve's head landing in the dirt after being victim to what appeared to be a spinning pile driver.

Steve instinctively rolled away while trying to shake off the dizziness induced from such a technique. "That's the third time in as many days someone has spun me around like a top," the Englishman shouted to False Ogre as he resumed his fighting stance. "How would you like it if I spun you around like mad?"

With that being said, Steve grabbed False Ogre and spun him around. As the doppelganger moved its head in confusion, Steve leapt up and grabbed its neck, causing the monster to lean down backwards. Once its head was low enough so that Steve could hold onto it while standing, the Englishman pummeled False Ogre's temple with a series of deadlocked punches. The doppelganger's head was released as Steve's final punch elicited a flash of sparks.

Before Steve could continue striking the dazed monster, he was sent careening into the creature with a massive blow from behind. It was, of course, Feng Wei "punishing" Steve for stealing his thunder. _What is with this guy's ego, _Steve thought as he quickly got off of False Ogre before the doppelganger could latch onto him for one of those dreadful strangleholds. _I'm starting to wonder that there's an ulterior motive to him wanting to go solo like this: Feng may be arrogant, but I doubt he's stupid enough to refuse help against someone like this…_

With his path once again cleared, False Ogre attacked his new foe with fearsome uppercut that sent Feng spiraling into the air. Looking up into the air, False Ogre utilized its flame throwing capabilities to scorch the bronze warrior in mid-air. The force of the flame jet sent the Chinese man blowing away like a leaf in the wind. Once Feng as out of the flame jet's reach, he began to plummet to the ground…

…but was saved from what would have been a devastating fall by Steve, who caught the bulky warrior and toppled onto the ground in his stead. Feng looked down at Steve for a moment and prepared to stomp on his chest. "Why do you continue to help me when I have already stated that I do not wish for your assistance?" The Chinese man asked with curiosity as it looked through Steve's blue helmet. "I told you: do not associate me with your friends. ShinkenBronze does not-"

"You don't like interference, I know," Steve put his arms up in innocence. "However, this has nothing to do with being a Shinkenger bloke. This is about putting your life on the line for your fellow man. This monster is insanely powerful, and it just would be kosher of me to just let you fall like that, now would it?"

Feng thought about this for a moment. Steve watched as Feng remained perfectly still with his foot still hovering over his chest. After what seemed like an eternity but was in truth only eight seconds, Feng put his foot down next to Steve and allowed the British boxer to stand back up. "I told you before, I do not need your help," the Chinese man said bitterly. "However, what you did just now was a nice gesture, so I will allow you to assist me."

"Very good, guv," Steve smiled beneath his helmet and put his hands in front of him with his left fist pressing against his palm on the opposite hand, bowing in the traditional Chinese custom. "Now how about we show this creature some manners?" Shaking Feng's hand, the two fighters bashed the oncoming doppelganger in the chest with their conjoined fists. The force of such a blow caused the creature's chest to implode and create a massive hole in its body.

Not giving the creature a chance to react, Steve and Feng pummeled the creature with a series of punches, sending the monster flying backwards right back into the brick temple wall that it was becoming acquainted to for the past few minutes with a simultaneous haymaker.

Suddenly, the creature's body began to fluctuate rapidly, as if it was starting to lose its form. False Ogre looked at its body in surprise, totally not expecting its body to be reacting like that. The creature's face seemed to change shape into something far more sinister as it roared and howled in pain. Feng and Steve could only watch on in horror as the doppelganger began to mutate.

When the mutating stopped, what lay before the two warriors was something far different from what they had been fighting. Its new form had the head of a lion, the body of a dragon, and a snake for its right arm. The creature's body was greenish-blue in color, with its left hand being a massive claw and its feet being sharp talons. With its tail banging in rage and the two leathery wings in its back flapping in fury, the creature roared as it shot out another devastating stream of fire at the two heroes.

However, Feng was prepared. Standing in front of Steve, The sapphire jewel on his left side of his chest shined brighter than the setting sun as he stomped his foot on the ground and shot his palm out at the jet stream like a policeman sticking his hand out to a fleeing civilian telling him to stop. The jet stream bounced off Feng's outstretched hand and redirected upwards into the air, creating a 90 degree angle between the origin of the blast from False Ogre's mouth and Feng's icy blue hand altering its course.

The mutated doppelganger was so preoccupied with Feng that it didn't even notice that Steve was no longer in front of it hiding behind Feng, but now running up towards its left with his fists shining bright blue. False Ogre's jet-stream was instantly stopped as Steve punched it in its feline face with a devastating Eraser blow. False Ogre roared in agony as its snake-arm shot out at Steve and shot out a glowing green liquid. Steve bent over backwards to avoid the spray and watched as it hit a lantern and melted it instantly.

Steve corrected himself and slammed his fist down on the creature's head as he came back up, and then resumed his assault with a one-two combination of punches. Steve counted to himself as he continued his onslaught with a succession of attacks. After the one-two combination, he pressed onward with two left-handed punches to the creature's stomach. As the creature bent over in pain, it received another punch in its jaw from Steve's right hook. The blue-clad warrior followed up with two left-handed blows: one to False Ogre's hip an one to its ankle. As False Ogre crouched in pain, Steve reared back with his right fight shining brighter than any star…

…as it came in contact with False Ogre's mouth and shattered its fangs like candy glass with a monstrous Hellfire blow. The doppelganger was sent flying backwards, its leathery wings doing nothing to slow down his flight into the edge of the inner sanctum stairwell. Steve quickly backed away from the creature as it roared while its body once again began to change form.

This time, however, it would not turn into anything that resembled any sort of living creature.

The creature's body melted as if it was sinking into itself. Its snake-arm reached high in the sky in vain as it contined to melt. In time, the roars began to become muffled as its own liquid body began to drown its head. When it was all done, False Ogre was a twitching blob of navy blue goo. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less dangerous an opponent.

False Ogre (or what was left of it), pounced on Steve and stuck onto the English warrior's neck like a piece of gum stuck on the bottom of a shoe. Steve gagged as the venomous blob attempted to strangle to life out of him, just as it tried to strangle the life out of Jin and Xiaoyu when it still had a form. Steve tried to grab onto the goo, but it would simply reform itself around Steve's neck, avoiding his hands but still maintaining its vice-like hold. _I refuse to have it end like this, _Steve thought to himself as he contined to stuggle wildly. _I refuse to meet my end at the behest of a glob of snot!  
_

Suddenly, Steve noticed that the wind was beginning to pick up, and before he knew what was going on, both he and the blob were being blown away by what seem to be hurricane winds. The gust was so strong that False Ogre released its hold on the Englishman and landed on the ground with a splat. Steve looked to his right, and saw the source of the wind: Feng's hand, which was now glowing bright green in correspondence to the emerald on the right side of his chest shining like a star. _So far he seems to able to control ice and wind, _Steve thought as he ran over to Feng's side and get away from the blob. _I wonder what else he can do…_

The Englishman turned back to the blob that was once False Ogre and saw it rapidly approach his fallen comrades. "Oh, no you don't!" The one called Shinkenblue ran up to the blob with his hands cupped together at his hip and crackled with raw power. As the oozing creature was just about to reach up and latch onto Xiaoyu, Steve fired off a blast of blue energy that caused the creature to back away from the unconscious Chinese woman and spasm uncontrollably. "SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"

As the creature contorted trying to assume a new shape, Feng shoved Steve aside while his bronze armor began to flare up and shine like the raging sun. With the ruby in the center of his chest burning furiously, Feng's left hand ignited as it grabbed the goo with his red-hot palm. The glob sizzled and whined as it began to lose its pigment. After a few seconds, it had become whiter thank a piece of chalk and taken the shape of a perfectly round sphere about the size of a beach ball.

Feng tossed the ball into the air and stomped his right foot on the ground as he crackled with his orange-pigmented ki. All three jewels on his chest shined like a consolation in the night sky as the sun finally set and bathed the area in darkness. As the white-hot ball came down, Feng shot both his orange-tinted palms into the air as fire, ice, and wind simultaneous came into contact with the ball. "Behold…my Hand of Judgement!"

The ball cracked upon impact of his hands: the fissures were small at first, but they gradually became deeper and spread across the chalk-like sphere. After a few seconds, the fissures burned right orange and surrounded the ball. The doppelganger ball, completely carbonized, exploded as deep cold and intense heat bombarded it. Steve blocked his face from the debris (even though his helmet protected him from the stone shards) and assessed the damage. "And that's the end of that. Thanks for the assist."

Feng scoffed as he looked at the coin-sized granule that was left in his hand and turned away from Steve. "Do not become accustomed to events like these: the next time we meet, we'll probably be enemies."

"And why does it have to be that way, mate?" Steve ran past Feng and stopped in front of him. "Listen, I know Asuka and Wulong say that you're a real piece of work, but I've seen you operate. Why can't we help each other out?"

"Steve Fox, I will admit that you are a valiant warrior," the Chinese man turned his gaze away from the shard in his hand and back towards Steve, "but I work alone. It is as simple as that. If I decide otherwise, however, I will be certain to notify you." Feng began to walk away from the boxer, but stopped when he was about to pass the unconscious Asuka. The muscular martial artist looked at her for a few seconds without moving a muscle, and then said to Steve without breaking his gaze, "You should attend to your friends: I'm sure they require medical attention."

"…ta-ta, guv," Steve replied with a nod as he attended to his comrades while Feng continued on his way. "I do hope you'll change your mind…"


	17. Episode 16: Ten Minutes to Love

PS3, Wii, and 360 are all officially out...as we bid a final farewell to the previous generation of gaming that consisted of the Dreamcast, Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube. (has a moment of silence).

Lucy Janairo is copyright of FeLo, one of the best spriters around. CvS style forever!

Enjoy Thanksgiving break everyone!

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_Little by little, I was inching ever-so-closer to victory…_

_The doppelganger I had created was defeated by a combination of ShinkenBronze and ShinkenBlue, but the fact remained that my creature had come remarkably close to defeating the Shinkengers with little effort at all. The true reasoning behind its defeat was that it could only maintain a form for a certain amount of time. When that time has passed, the genes it carries become unstable, and it loses control of its integrity. This is why it unexpectedly mutated, and then reverted back to its original state of formlessness._

_It was unaware of its own limits. My next creature, however, was just the opposite._

_In the past, all of my monsters had been manufactured with ingredients that influence what my creature would become. For Mong Kong, I used ceremonial Muay Thai garments and a stuffed gorilla. For Polevolt, I used a powerful magnet and a pair of Escrima sticks. For Ricoshade, I used an electric guitar and a plastic bat. All of the objects I used had been made from, for the most part, inorganic material, and thus without any root to a living creature's basic instincts._

_This next creature, on the other hand, was created from the blood of our mutual friend, Jun Kazama. When I had given up a sample my own vital fluids so that life would once again flow through her veins, I was wise enough to take a sample of her own blood, as well. I do not remember why I had saved that sample for so long, but it is a moot point. I still had it, and I intended to use it._

_The resulting monster was a formidable warrior with sporting dark pink Chinese armor from head to toe, with the helmet in the shape of a dragon's head. The front of the helmet was left open to reveal a face paler than the moon and more beautiful than finest jade, while the back of the helmet unleashed his long flowing turquoise hair. Behind his effeminate appearance was the power of a Kazama, and that power was something to be feared._

_However, it would seem that I had done my work a little too well: not only had I given him an advanced mind, I had also bestowed upon him a heart. And like all hearts, their loyalties are subject to change once the factor known as emotion is thrown into the mix…_

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As Japan entered the third week that followed the Marunouchi building slaughter, the weather seemed to mimic the tensions that surrounded the city with an unusual heat wave. In a time of year where the sun began to set at 6:00 PM, it seemed odd that such abnormally high temperatures would bombard the city. However, the citizens of the massive city would be undeterred by this anomaly and used the heat wave to enjoy an early spring.

The Tokyo Summerland was an indoor water park that sported pools and water slides of all shapes and sizes. One of the most prominent of the attractions was the massive wave pool that had been rebuilt to hold up to 660,253.09 gallons of water. With its many aquatic rides, it was the perfect place to celebrate the coming of warmer weather…

…minus a certain golem attacking everyone in sight.

One day ago, the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger had been severely weakened by the doppelganger monster that Kazuya had created. Astaroth figured that if he attacked a heavily populated area, the young fools would be certain to try and stop them despite their condition. Astaroth had been fighting the Shinkengers for some time now, and he knew that he was at least their equal when the team was at full strength.

_But if the entire team is worn and tired, _Astaroth thought as he chopped at a water slide with monstrous horizontal swings of his beloved ax Kutules, _then they should be nothing more than insects to be squashed under my shoe! _The water slide started to teeter dangerously as Astaroth continued to chop at the foundation like a lumberjack cutting down a great tree. People who were still on the slide fell off the top and came crashing down to the hard floor below, while others fell into the water that the slide led to.

However, before it could be toppled completely, it unexpectedly stopped wobbling. Astaroth watched in confusion as the slide remained to hang diagonally, and then returned to its original vertical position. The golem darted to where he had been chopping at the foundation and saw his armored ally using his ki to melt the metal together and thus keeping the slide steady.

"What are you doing, you fool?" Astaroth said as he grabbed onto his comrade and tossed him away. "We're here to cause destruction, so why are you doing the very opposite!?"

"Astaroth-sama, we are only here to bait our enemies into coming out into the open," the armor-clad warrior said with a calm voice. "We have made our mark: they will be coming here shortly and thus there is no longer any need to shed the blood of civilians. Besides, you wouldn't want to be tired out before we even have a chance to fight, would you?"

"Hmph…I suppose when you put it that way…" Astaroth said reluctantly as he walked away from the slide. "Let's go, Jeet Kune Do incubus Dragoon. I'm sure there are some constables that we can warm up with before our big fight." The golem pounded his ax onto the floor and from the pavement sprouted ten red-skinned Lizard-men, snarling and awaiting orders from their infamous commander. "Everyone, hunt down the humans in this building and slake your bloodlust. Once you have had your fill, herd the survivors into this area so that we have bargaining chips in case something goes wrong!"

The reptilian monsters let out a loud growl in acknowledgement while they separated and began to scour the area. Dragoon looked on and rubbed his chin in deep thought. His master Kazuya had given him the honorable assignment of defeating the Shinkengers in hand-to-hand combat, and he had every intention of proving his master's faith in him. However, for an unknown reason he had an unexplainable dislike to bloodshed. The least he could do was make sure that just one of the Lizard-men didn't go completely out of control. "Astaroth-sama, I too would like to scout this wondrous place."

---

In the ten minutes that followed, Dragoon and the Lizard-man that he chose to follow behind the scenes searched the area for anyone who hadn't made it out of the Tokyo Summerland. Dragoon kept himself hidden as he secretly stemmed the Lizard-man's slaughter by using his superior speed to get many of the civilians out of harm's grasp and towards safety. Even though there was still a possibility that they would get killed anyway by the other lizard-men, the incubus was satisfied with prolonging their lives for just a little while.

However, the Lizard-men were a hard-working part of his lord's forces, and they did deserve to have some sort of fun. He'd let the reptilian savage have a bite or two, but Dragoon did everything he could to make sure it didn't turn into a complete bloodbath. _Being a villain is so hard when you hate the sight of innocent blood, _the incubus thought to himself as he once again thwarted the Lizard-man's attempt to devour more victims than necessary, much to the confusion of the reptile, _but such is destiny, and I shall accept it._

"Come on, everyone out! I'll try to hold it off!"

Dragoon raised his head at the sound of the female voice shouting only a few meters away. The incubus' eyes lay upon on young, stunningly beautiful oriental woman wearing a black bikini with the design of a teal wave going across the cups, with matching wetsuit pants having the wave going across her upper leg area. Her long black hair flowed freely in the wind as she charged toward the Lizard-man while the people she had been talking to seconds ago made their escape. _She's beautiful…_

Once the woman was within striking distance, she lifted her leg and kicked the creature in the lower jaw with a lightning-like snapping kick. The creature reeled back in pain from the force of such a blow that came from so lithe a figure, and tried to counter the assault with a powerful tail whip. The woman narrowly ducked under the blow and leapt towards the creature with a flying kick. Dragoon watched on in curiosity: she didn't have the device on her wrist that his lord Kazuya said the Shinkenger would have, so she was just an ordinary civilian.

The incubus continued to stare at this beautiful fighter who grabbed onto the Lizard-man's neck and began to choke it with both hands. The reptile returned the pain in kind by biting her hand, forcing her to scream and let go of her opponent. Gripping her hand in pain, she fended off the attacking monster with a rapid series of kicks alternating between blows to the head and midsection. The Lizard-man dodged all but three of them, but those three were enough to let out a shrill cry of pain.

_This martial art, _Dragoon pondered while he watched the fight, _I am almost certain that it's Kajukenbo. I guess that would explain her perfect English: she must be Hawaiian._ Kajukenbo was a Hawaiian martial art that combined Karate, Judo, Kenpo, and Chinese Boxing. The way how the woman kicked the Lizard-man's feet off the ground to send it falling on its back certainly described one of the martial arts, with the shuttle punches she utilized a few seconds later represented another.

However, she was but a mere human. All that would be needed to take her down…was one lucky shot.

The Lizard-man found its lucky shot with a powerful tail whip to her temples, inducing upon the girl extreme dizziness. Finally seeing its opportunity, the Lizard-man rammed its head into the girl's, knocking her out by hitting her temples once again and causing her to topple over into the pool behind her. The reptile saw its chance: this woman actually caused it pain, and as such was probably a meat more delectable than the prey it had been stalking. It prepared to leap into the pool after her so that it may feed on her flesh underwater…when a piercing shout rang through the air.

"WA-TAAAA!!!"

The Lizard-man turned around just in time to see the devastating roundhouse kick that send it screeching across the ground, leaving a trail of blood in its wake from the massive blow that had slain it. Dragoon looked at the Lizard-man that he kicked worriedly. _Oh no…if I killed it, then Astaroth-sama would consider it an act of treason._ The incubus turned to the pool and saw the bubbles where the woman was sinking. _I'll worry about it later; first I need to help that girl!_

Dragoon dived in after the woman and propelled himself deeper and deeper into the water. Fortunately for him, his master had designed his eyes in a way that the sting of water and chlorine would be nothing to him, allowing him to see underwater. He spotted the woman and quickly swam towards her: the bubbles coming out of her mouth and nose were becoming less and less frequent by the second. Dragoon latched onto her and swam back up to the surface. When he got out of the water with her, he noticed that she wasn't breathing.

_She will be dead if I don't do something soon, _Dragoon began to despair as he tried to figure out what he could do to save this warrior who held her own against on of his master's vaunted Lizard-man. _Perhaps if I gave her some of my own energy, it can help her regain consciousness. _The incubus' hands glowed while he placed them on the woman's forehead. As he did so, Dragoon bent down and pressed his mouth against hers, attempting to breath life back into her. After a few attempts, the girl coughed up water and started to breathe again. _Excellent, she's alive. Now to get back to-_

"Uhhh," the woman groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and sat back up. She spotted Dragoon walking away and called out to him. "Hey you, did you save me just now?"

The incubus stopped where he was and turned around. "As a matter of fact I did, Miss…"

"It's Janiero, Lucy Janiero," the woman identified herself while she stood back up and dusted herself off. "I really appreciate what you did. Thanks a lot."

Dragoon felt his heart rate pick up speed as she mentioned her gratitude. "Oh it was nothing at all," the incubus replied as he turned around again and continued on his way. "It would be a shame for such a beautiful warrior like yourself to perish so prematurely."

Suddenly, the incubus detected another presence coming towards him: one that was immensely powerful, but not evil like Astaroth's. _A Shinkenger is coming, _he thought while he turned back around to face Lucy. _I better make sure she doesn't have to see me take out one of the city's valiant defenders: she might get caught in the crossfire. _"Everyone seems to be safely out of here: you'd better go tend to the wounded outside. By the way, my name is Dragoon." The incubus lowered the upper half of his body in an exaggerated bow, waving his arms accordingly.

"Heh, I guess you're just another superhero in this crazy city, judging from that outfit and that crazy name," the Hawaiian native chuckled as she walked up to Dragoon. "You're not so bad-looking yourself. Kick some ass for me, OK?" And with that, Lucy gave the incubus a quick peck on the cheek and ran for the exit. "Thanks again for the assist, 'Dragoon!'"

Dragoon lightly rubbed his cheek as he watched the captivating woman navigate the maze that was called the Tokyo Summerland and left his eyesight. His heart was still pounding like a jungle drum. _This emotion, _Dragoon's mind was ripe with confusion as his heart ached while he turned around to face what he believed to be a Shinkenger rapidly coming within range of his sight. _What is the meaning of it? Why does my heart ache so?_

Dragoon's quarry finally stepped out of the shadows and in front of him. The incubus recognized the warrior instantly from the debriefing that his lord Kazuya had given him: the renegade Kempo practitioner Feng Wei, in his guise of the seemingly all-powerful ShinkenBronze…

-----

"That was most interesting," Feng said as he stepped in front of Dragoon. "I've been monitoring you since you came to this part of the amusepark. I didn't henshin until you were busy with your 'comrade' that now bleeds lifelessly a few meters behind us, thus I remained undetected until a few seconds ago. That woman seems to have taken a liking to you and the two of you have only met for a couple of minutes…"

"Do you really think so?" Dragoon asked with sincerity as Feng Wei concluded his comments on what had transpired. "She called me a superhero…it is as if she had no idea that I played a role in this carnage. It is better that she left: I would not want her to feel lied to…"

Feng stroked his chin (or rather, the part of his helmet that covered his chin) for a few seconds as he pondered the incubus' tone of voice. Normally the creatures he and the Shinkengers had faced possessed voices that sounded arrogant to a fault. However, this one was an exception: it displayed guilt, and almost a sense of heartache. "You are not like the others," Feng finally stated out loud, causing Dragoon to dart his head towards Feng in surprise. "Why don't you tell me who you are working for? I could let you go free: you could pursue that woman and tell her about your concern for her."

"I am a loyal servant of my master who breathed life into my body. I will not sell him out simply because of an emotion that I cannot identify involving a human that I've only known for five minutes," Dragoon assumed a fighting stance and started to lightly bounce on the back of his feet. "However, if you defeat me in battle, then perhaps I will be more cooperative. If I win, though, you have to come with me without a fuss." The incubus quickly motioned his head towards the Lizard-man that he had slain moments ago. "If I capture the mighty ShinkenBronze, then perhaps Astaroth-sama will forgive me for striking down one of his soldiers."

"I wouldn't count on it, chump."

Feng and Dragoon darted around in surprise to see the source of the unknown fearsome voice: Astaroth with his battle-ax in one arm and a struggling Lucy in the other. The Hawaiian woman had an expression of surprise on her face when she saw Dragoon about to square off against Feng. "Dragoon…what are you doing? I thought you were one of the good guys!"

"Well, you thought wrong, wench," Astaroth yelled in the woman's ear before turning to Dragoon and Feng. "Jeet Kune Do Incubus Dragoon, I would like to raise the stakes in this battle: if you don't defeat him, then I'll break the neck of this human!"

"A-astaorth-sama," Dragoon stammered as he heard the golem threaten to end Lucy's life. "She is but a mere civilian: there would be no honor in killing her when she doesn't pose a threat!"

"She poses a threat when she works her charms and threatens to force a defection," the golem spat back with rage as his grip around Lucy tightened. "Now hurry up!"

The incubus hung his head down for a few moments, and then turned back to Feng and resumed his fighting stance. "My apologies, but now I must defeat you."

"We do what we must," Feng nodded as he assumed his own stance. "Come forth!"

However, before Feng could even take a step forward, he was sent careening backwards with a soaring Dragon kick. _How did he move so fast without my noticing, _Feng asked himself as he landed on his feet and once again assumed a fighting stance. _This one seems much quicker than the other ones. I must be on my guard. _The Kempo warrior quickly blocked a punch from Dragoon and countered with a palm to the incubus' face.

Seeing that his foe was temporarily stunned, Feng pressed onward with an arcing vertical kick that had the knocked the demon into the air, and quickly followed up with a second vertical kick to strike his foe again. Before Dragoon could even hit the ground, he was sent careening backwards with a shoulder strike.

Dragoon landed flat on his back but quickly scrambled back onto his feet to narrowly avoid a high soaring kick from Feng. As soon as the Chinese fighter landed, he was sent right back into the air with a powerful uppercut. The incubus pummeled his airborne opponent with a quartet of punches, the last of which had Feng tumbling to the ground with a devastating half-knuckle blow that Dragoon gave voice to with a bird-like shout.

_Damn! This is foolishness, _Feng cursed to himself while he got back onto his feet and tossed the oncoming Dragoon into the air, bombarding his abdomen with a rapid series of punches as he came down before snatching the incubus out of the air with his foot to push him down to the ground with his heel grinding into his foe's chest. _This one clearly doesn't wish to hurt me, so why are we fighting like this? Is it possible that he actually did fall in love with that woman?_

As that question burned in Feng's mind, his grip on Dragoon loosened unintentionally, giving the incubus the chance to roll away from Feng's foot and spring back up, kicking Feng in the chin and leaving a small crack in the bottom of his helmet. The Chinese man reeled back in surprise and was left vulnerable to a powerful forward kick to his chest, and a spiraling trip to the hard floor courtesy of an impressive spinning leg to his head.

Dragoon's body began to glow furiously with dark blue energy as Feng tried to get back up, planting his feet squarely on the ground and rear his left hand back. _Interesting, _Feng hopped back up while the emerald on the right side of his helmet shined brightly while his hand burned with green power, _it would seem that he is going to use an energy attack. Let's see what is superior: his blast, or my God Fist style!_

"You're prepared for my ultimate technique," Dragoon shouted as he saw Feng fire off a green burst of energy that was heralded by violent gusts of wind. "Now I won't have to worry about overkill!" With all of his ki now focused in his hand, Dragoon shot out his palm and unleashed a dark blue dragon composed entirely of power that rapidly slithered towards Feng. "Have a taste of my…DRAGON DESTABILIZER!"

The two beams of energy clashed furiously as Astaroth covered his eyes. As he did so, Lucy saw her chance and quickly slipped away from the golem's arm. "Hey, come back here, wench," Astaroth commanded while he ran after her. "Unless you want me to rend you in half right here, that is!

This did not escape the attention of the two combatants. Seeing that there was no longer any need to continue their fight, they redirected their blasts towards the golem, who was sent flying away with the bursts of ki propelling his journey, pushing him over the edge and into the nearby pool. As Astaroth struggled underwater with the weight of his axe pushing him down, Feng and Dragoon collapsed onto their knees and huffed feverishly. They had only battled for a little over two minutes, and they were already exhausted from the speed and power that each of them possessed.

"…so you were responsible for it all along…"

Dragoon looked up to see Lucy slowly walked towards him. Once she was standing in front of him, he lowered his head in shame. "I will not make excuses: indeed, I was responsible for all of this bloodshed. I was content with serving my masters to the best of my abilities, carrying out their orders with my flawless technique." The incubus slowly stood back up, but his head remained lowered. "And then I saw you…and all of my loyalties seemed trivial."

Lucy gulped as she listened to the incubus intently while Feng stood back up a few meters away and walked over to the group, ignoring the massive amount of bubbles emerging from the pool that Astaroth was struggling with.

"This feeling in my heart…it overrides all of my honor and loyalty," Dragoon quickly turned away and clenched his fist, almost as if he was angry with himself for abandoning his duty. "I have no right to call myself a martial artist. I've only known you for a little under eight minutes and yet…it's like I've known you forever."

"It is like I said, Dragoon," Feng commented as he put his arm on the incubus' shoulder. "You are different: you have a conscience. You did what you had to because you knew what was the right thing to do…"

"You saved people's lives, Dragoon, including mine," Lucy added while she reached over and put her hand to the demon's cheek, causing the pale warrior to turn back around. "There is nothing wrong with that. Martial arts are the way of self-defense, but that also includes the defense of others. You have every right to call yourself a martial artist…"

"…I can't explain it but," Dragoon said quietly as he touched Lucy's face. "Something tells me that you just so happen to be the one I want to protect…and I don't even know why…"

"Then let me show you."

As Lucy said that, she wrapped her arms around Dragoon and pressed her lips against his mouth. The incubus showed surprise at first, but soon relaxed as his heartbeat steadied while he accepted her kiss…

…before breaking it and roaring in pain. Lucy and Feng darted back in surprise, confused as to what was bothering him. It only took a couple of seconds to realize what: Astaroth's ax Kutules had just been lodged in his back. The ax glowed before removing itself from the incubus and floating back to Astaroth, who had finally gotten out of the pool. "The punishment for betrayal is destruction," the golem bellowed maliciously as Dragoon fell flat on his stomach. "You have only a few minutes left to live: may they be full of suffering and agony!"

Feng clenched his fist as he darted around and charged the golem. "You fiend! I will make you suffer and agonize far more than he shall!" With all three of the jewels on his chest glowing brightly, Feng lunged at Astaroth with his iron claws raised. Astaroth parried the swipes with his ax, and knocked Feng away with jumping knee, allowing the golem to get away from the pool and prepare for the Kempo expert's fury.

----

Lucy felt tears well up in her eyes as she shook Dragoon's damaged body furiously, trying to awaken him from the spell of unconsciousness that had overtaken him. Merely ten minutes ago, this handsome fighter had saved her from drowning, and only thirty seconds ago, she had her mind set on spending the rest of her life with him. "Dragoon, please wake up! PLEASE!"

Suddenly, the armor covering Dragoon's fingers burst off, revealing dark black fingernails. The incubus groaned as he lifted his head and looked at Lucy with his yellow eyes. "Lucy…I finally understand what this feeling is," he said with a whisper as he groggily stood back up while his fingernails lengthened, creating claws that were at least six inches long. The opening in the armor on his back that was created from Astaroth's weapon sprouted out a pair of long, bat-like wings. As Lucy watched on in astonishment, her awe quickly turned to horror as Dragoon turned around and said with a grim smile:

"Take care, my love…I'm so glad that we met."

"Dragoon, no!"

Lucy cried out to him, but it was too late. With inhuman speed, Dragoon propelled himself with his newly grown wings and shoved Feng aside to latch onto Astaroth. Before the golem knew what was going on, he was being taken straight up into the air with Dragoon acting as his guide. The two crashed through the ceiling and left the Tokyo Summerland to enter the night sky. "Astaroth-sama, tell Kazuya-sama that I'm sorry for doing this," Dragoon apologized while he spun Astaroth around by his muscular leg. The two of them spun at cyclonic speeds, until Dragoon let go of Astaroth and hurled him far across the city of Tokyo.

_And that takes care of that, _he thought as his body began to shoot out sparks, knowing that his life was now coming to an end. He looked down at the hole he made in the Tokyo Summerland ceiling to see Feng and Lucy watching him. Dragoon smiled as his body finally was consumed in fire.

_Lucy…ShinkenBronze…perhaps the next time we meet...I'll be human for you. _

------------

Feng pounded the ground in rage and defiance while Lucy quietly sobbed for their loss as they watched Dragoon explode in great ball of blue fire. The Jeet Kune Do incubus that had become their friend was dead. "That monster struck down one of his own simply because he had a heart," Feng growled as he stared into the hole in the ceiling that Dragoon and Astaroth had created. "All I could do was watch helplessly. My hands of judgment were useless!"

The Chinese man felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Lucy, with her eyes still full with tears. "My apologies," Feng bowed his head slightly in apologize. "I must be upsetting you…"

"…no, it's quite alright," Lucy said with a smile as she looked up at the ceiling. "My father always told me that the least we can do is pick our heads up and move on…I'm sure Dragoon would have wanted us to do the same…" As if on cue, something fell from the hole in the ceiling and landed in the pool with a splash. As it floated up to the surface, Feng and Lucy realized what it was: the top half of Dragoon's helmet, shaped like the upper half of a Chinese dragon's head. Lucy dived into the pool to fetch it, swimming frantically to obtain the last memento of the wonderful ten minutes she had with Dragoon.

"Whoa…what happened here?"

Feng turned around at the familiar voice to face Steve, who was dressed in his ShinkenBlue suit. "Me and the others have been dealing with all of the Lizard-men, but we heard that bastard Astaroth and some new bloke were stirring up trouble, as well. I'm guessing they're all taken care of…"

"Astaroth is still on the loose: it's far from taken care of," Feng said solemnly as he powered down, his ShinkenBronze suit dissipating in orange light. When the light faded, Feng was unmasked and wearing his maroon Kung Fu uniform with his black hair braided in a long black ponytail. "That is why I have decided to join you."

Steve raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet, and then outstretched his hand. "Well that's just dandy! I'm glad you've finally come to your senses."

Feng turned to the pool to see Lucy climb out of the pool with Dragoon's helmet, holding it close to her heart. After a few moments, the Chinese man continued. "That monster killed a good friend of mine. I will do everything in my power to assist you in your quest to bring judgment upon him and the one who he calls his master!"


	18. Episode 17: ShinkenSlayer

It's the final lap: this week is exam week, where in Calculus I am hanging on a prayer hoping to GOD that I pass this class. Everyone wish me luck: I'm going to need it.

Enjoy the beginning of what promises to be an awesome arc!

----------

Tokyo Tower: the world's tallest self-supporting tower at 333 meters. In the postwar boom of the 1950s, Japan was looking for a monument to symbolize its ascendancy as a global economic powerhouse. Looking to the Occident for inspiration, the Tokyo Government decided to erect its own Eiffel Tower. It was completed by the Takenaka Corporation in 1958 at a total cost of ¥2.8 billion. Although it chiefly functions as a radio and television broadcasting antenna, the Tower is best known as a tourist destination, though it is decried by some as overpriced and inconveniently located, and as having poor amenities.

The first floor houses an aquarium, home to 50,000 fish, while the third floor is a wax museum and an attraction called the Mysterious Walking Zone and the fourth floor a Trick Art Gallery. There are also two observatory floors, the main observatory (at 150 m) and the so-called "special observatory" (at 250 m). Both afford a spectacular 360 degree view of Tokyo and, if the weather is clear, Mt. Fuji.

Fortunately for a certain teenage by the name of Asuka Kazama, the weather had played in their favor. A little over an hour prior to arriving at the Tower, Asuka had spent a good deal of time arguing with her rival and boyfriend Kenichi about their latest addition to their Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger: Feng Wei. Feng had destroyed her father's dojo and sent him to the hospital a little over a year earlier, and the Chinese man's presence made her feel uncomfortable. While Kenichi agreed that it seemed strange, he had saved them from the clutches of False Ogre and Steve was willing to trust him with his life. Jin would have the final say, and he declared that Feng would be declared the seventh member of the team only if they voted in his favor.

The vote was six in favor to one against. Asuka wasn't at all pleased with the results, and left the Mishima mansion in a huff.

_Stupid Kenichi, _Asuka thought to herself angrily as she took a sip of her soda while looking out the window of the Observatory Deck. _I thought he of all people would side with me: after all, he did help train with me to beat him in the last tournament. Some boyfriend he's turning out to be…_

"Hey there, Asuka."

Asuka turned around at the sound of the all-to-familiar voice to see her close friend Ling Xiaoyu walking up to the table she was sitting at, wearing her usual attire consisting of a black sports bra, a yellow sweater jacket, and white sports pants. The Chinese girl lightly brushed back her pigtails as she took a seat and sat down. "I just wanted to make sure that you were OK."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Asuka said with a slightly depressed tone as she continued looking out the window. "I just needed some time to myself, although I'm still curious as to why all of you are so quick to trust that big-boobed asshole so much…"

"He did get us out of a tight spot a couple of days ago," Xiaoyu answered politely, trying her absolute best not to make Asuka feel like she was completely wrong in her stance on Feng's membership. "My Grandpa Jinrei says that he's not that bad, and he doesn't like many people who go around acting like Feng did back in that tournament."

"Maybe so, but I still don't like how he trashed my dad and called him weak, and then he just completely ignored Kenichi's dojo like it wasn't even worth his time," Asuka raised her voice ever so slightly, giving away her deep resentment towards Jin's decision. "Even if he has turned over a new leaf, I think it's still too early to trust my life to him in the heat of battle." The Japanese young woman turned around to face her friend. "Whatever, I'll just have to deal with it. I'm more ticked off at how Kenichi sided with the rest of you guys…"

Xiaoyu tilted her head in curiosity as Asuka added that last comment. "Is that really why you're upset with him?"

Asuka thought about that for a moment before shaking her head. "I guess not: he was just trying to think about the best way to defeat the enemy. But I was hoping that he'd at least consider my feelings before casting a vote…" After taking another sip of her soda, she continued by saying, "I was hoping our relationship would have built up a bit more by now."

A gentle laugh was heard as Asuka watched Xiaoyu giggle in amusement. Once she realized that Asuka didn't find it too funny, Xiaoyu explained her reason for laughing. "Asuka, you and I both know that he cares about you a lot: he wouldn't have voted in Feng's favor if he felt that it would be dangerous. It seems more like you're just getting impatient."

The Japanese youth was silent for a few seconds, as if what Xiaoyu had said struck a nerve that caused her to pause in deep consideration. "…I'm afraid that if I really show him how I feel, with all my heart…I might drive him away," Asuka finally commented after what seemed like an eternity. "He's never been good with expressing himself from his heart, especially after his father died. I'm sort of trying to get him to open up again, but I'm afraid that I'll mess things up."

"You won't know unless you try."

"Heh, with all this crap going on with Astaroth, I'm sure he'd be too busy to even respond if I came up and made a move." Asuka stood up out of her seat and left a few coins on the table for her waiter's tip. "I do want to tell him before I have to head back to Osaka, though. Thanks for talking with me, Xiao: let's head back to the others."

------

"Is this really such a good idea?" Feng asked Kenichi as the two of them left the vehicle they rode in and closed the doors. "She did not seem very happy with either of us when she left like that."

"There is no other way," Kenichi answered while they began their journey to the entrance of Tokyo Tower via the car-riddled plains that was its parking lot. "If she truly is angry at you for joining the team, then you will have to prove your sincerity. To be perfectly honest, I too wish to see just how far we can trust you."

"You intend to play peacemaker, and yet you remain skeptical of my loyalty despite your vote casting," Feng scoffed. "For the umpteenth time, I am sorry for my actions last year, and I intend to make amends. And as for my loyalty, Astaroth and his leader are as much an enemy of mine as they are of yours. Until they are defeated, you need not fear me."

"I only voted for you because we have a common foe like you said: I am still bitter with how you treated Asuka and called her father weak. I've known Kazama-sempai for a long time, and he is anything but weak," Kenichi replied with a hint of bitterness as the two martial artists finally made it to the elevator. "Furthermore, you attacked his students even though they were clearly not worth your attention, some of which happen to be classmates."

Feng paused for a moment, and answered as politely as he could without giving hint to his impatience, "If he wishes a rematch, I will answer it. The same applies for his student as well Asu-"

The Chinese man unexpectedly fell silent, much to Kenichi's confusion. Taking a look at his surroundings, Feng quietly scanned the area around him. After a few seconds, his Japanese counterpart raised an eyebrow and inquired, "What's wrong?"

"Someone is following us," Feng answered as he pointed to the parking lot, "an intensely sinister aura, almost as powerful as Astaroth and just as evil." Following Feng's finger and gaze, Kenichi turned to the lot to see who or what his elder comrade was referring to. A few moments later, however, Kenichi began to feel the malevolent aura for himself, as well as identify who Feng was pointing to.

The man's skin was incredibly pale, with his white hair cut short and revealing his sickly brow. His green eyes were in a sneer and a wide smirk adorned his face while his body was donned in a dark teal tuxedo with a white shirt and a red tie. _It's the monster who destroyed my sensei's clan and injured his friend Dr. Boskonovitch, _Kenichi thought in terror as Bryan continued to approach them, _the monster called Bryan Fury!_

"Afternoon, gents," Bryan said with a sick grin when he finally reached Feng and Kenichi. "It's a lovely day to go out and enjoy the view, wouldn't you say?"

Noticing that Kenichi was still paralyzed with rage and fear, Feng spoke up. "What is it you want, Fury?"

Bryan took out a cigarette and pulled out a lighter, burning the tip of the cigarette and taking deep puffs as it burned. As he did so, Kenichi finally regained enough composure to notice how Feng already knew Bryan. _How is it that Feng-san is an acquaintance of that maniac?_

"To be perfectly frank, I'm waiting for your two sexy ladies to come down. I have business with them," the kickboxing cyborg finally replied while blowing smoke in Kenichi's face even though he was responding to Feng's question. "I'm going to assume that this is Yoshi's new boy toy?"

The Japanese bishonen glared at Bryan chillingly. This man caused a man who had once saved his life great physical and emotional pain, and now he was rudely blowing cigarette smoke at him. Yoshimitsu had told Kenichi that should he run into Bryan Fury, go in the opposite direction: he was far too powerful for him to face alone, and it was Yoshimitsu's duty to bring justice upon him. Kenichi intended to respect his wishes, but if he was showing interest in Asuka, then he could not just leave him entirely alone. "Why do want to speak to Asuka and Xiaoyu?" He asked as he and Feng backed away, expecting Bryan to attack them as randomly as he came.

"You really want to know?" Bryan asked rhetorically with a crazed look in his eye while he rolled up one of his sleeves. "Boogie with me, and maybe I'll let you in on why I want to chat with your women." Feng and Kenichi's eyes widened in surprise as Bryan revealed a dark gray morpher with two kanji written in purple with the kanji "Tekken", strikingly similar to their own.

With a maniacal laugh, Bryan's ki flowed across his clothes like a stream, with the metaphorical river being his morpher that gave off a wickedly dark red aura. A feminine mechanical voice uttered from the device, "Standing by…" As Bryan tried to regain his composure and end the laughing fit that he entered, Feng quickly stomped his foot on the ground as his morpher echoed the statis, only with a male voice. While Kenichi's ki crackled across his body, Feng and Bryan simultaneously shouted out a single command while their morphers repeated it.

"HENSHIN!"

A bright light engulfed the three fighters, with Kenichi and Feng completing their respective ShinkenSilver and ShinkenBronze transformations, but Bryan's body contined to radiate with dark ki that made his body seem more like a silhouette of himself rather than his true physical manifestation. With no intention of giving Bryan a chance to complete his henshin, Feng and Kenichi rushed at him with violent intent. However, the shadow-like Bryan sent the two of them crashing to the ground with a single roundhouse kick. As he watched them soar uncontrollably to the pavement, Bryan's body became visible again while he lifted his knee up in the air and taunted his opponents, allowing them to see their conqueror's new form: a fearsome combination of purple, dark gray, and crimson.

Bryan's torso was now adorned with dark gray armor with two large spiked shoulder pads of the same color attached to it. Embedded in the body armor was a single black cherry-colored jewel that shone as man took deep, concentrated breaths. The rest of the body was covered with a dark purple body-suit. Around the waist was a black belt, a white holster connected to it on his right hip and bond together with a gray buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." Two arm guards of the same color were wrapped around his wrists, and his boots shared the same pigment as the armguards, while his knee-pads had the design of a demonic diamond skull. Bryan's face, as well as his entire head, was masked with a purple helmet save for a dark red visor that was placed where his eyes would be so that he would be allowed to see, and on each side of the helmet was a stylized golden "s."

Bryan rolled his head around and cracked his neck in anticipation while Feng and Kenichi got back up and renewed their assault. Kenichi would reach Bryan first and sent him rocketing straight up into the air with his trademark vertical straight punch. With his wings glowing bright blue, Kenichi soared up after him, flying so fast that he actually managed to be above Bryan's ascent. Once he was high enough, the Japanese youth planted his foot in Bryan's chest and let gravity do the rest while they went plummeting down to the ground with the American criminal hitting the pavement back-first and Kenichi completing his diving Falling Angel kick.

To Kenichi's surprise, Bryan managed to recovered quick enough to snatch Kenichi's leg with his arm before the boy could leap away. With Bryan's still lying on the ground, the kickboxing fiend twisted the bishonen's leg, causing him to cry out in pain while he tried to get away from the cyborg's impenetrable grip. The cyborg laughed while he was dragged along the ground as Kenichi's wings glowed again in the boy's attempt to shake him off. Once he had his fun, Bryan stood back up and spun Kenichi around four times before finally letting go and sending him crashing into one of the tower's foundations. If Kenichi hadn't used his wings to slow down his journey to the metal foundation, he would have certainly crushed his helmet, and his skull.

"Sorry about that, kiddo," Bryan apologized sarcastically before turning his attention to the oncoming Feng. "I wouldn't want to mess up your pretty face!" Feng attacked with a devastating leaping kick that hit his foe in his helmet, causing the cyborg to take a few steps back in pain. Feng landed gracefully and followed up with a monstrous palm thrust that glowed red in accordance with the ruby in the center of his chest. Unfortunately for the Chinese martial artist, Bryan caught his arm and countered with a powerful knee to the man's ribcage. Sparks flew off of Feng's armor as he gripped his abdomen in pain.

Turning his attention away from Feng, Bryan turned around to narrowly dodge Kenichi's horizontal chop that left a streak of white ki in its wake. Clenching his fist, Bryan came back up and pounded Kenichi in the head with it for a powerful counter-technique before following up with an uppercut that sent the boy skyward. With his opponent falling back down the ground, he pounded the bishonen with a pair of backhanded punches, finishing with a straight punch that sent the boy spiraling away.

Kenichi used his wings to right himself in mid-air and dash back to Bryan, tackling the crazed kickboxer and pushing him into another one of Tokyo Tower's metal foundations. Putting his feet back on the ground, Kenichi bombarded his foe with a sextet of left-handed punches, finishing with a roundhouse kick that pushed Bryan further into the foundation, squashing him between the metal and the force of the blow. The cyborg grunted in pain, and then made Kenichi do the same as he hit him in the neck with a swiping elbow.

"My turn," Bryan said quietly with sadistic glee as he began to pummel the stunned Kenichi's abdomen with his fists, alternating between left and right. It was slow at first, but quickly and gradually the barrage became faster and faster, sparking shooting out of Kenichi's armor with every blow. After a couple of seconds, it was as if Bryan's hands weren't even there, moving faster than the human eye could trace with sparking continuing to shoot from the boy's chest. After what seemed like an eternity of pain, the Japanese bishonen went sprawling backwards as Bryan concluded his barrage with a devastating knee.

Before Bryan could pursue, he was attacked with another burning palm courtesy of Feng. The Chinese man hit his mark this time, striking Bryan squarely in the jewel on his chest, creating massive electric discharge while Bryan roared in agony. The cyborg gritted his teeth while he grabbed onto Feng's wrist and stuggled to lift it away from his body. The fighters were at a stalemate for a few seconds, but Bryan eventually won out by pulling Feng's hand away and then gripping onto the iron claws on that hand. Feng was momentarily stunned in surprise when Bryan broke one of the claws off as easily as one would break a twig. The Chinese man tried to break loose of Bryan's hold, but fortunately Bryan would let go sooner than Feng would have thought…only to send him flying into an admission booth with a trio of kicks, the last of which being a forward thrust of Bryan's boot.

Watching Kenichi and Feng struggle to get back onto their feet, Bryan began to chuckle, but soon it erupted into an uncontrollable laughter that was so hard and forceful that he gripped his stomach in pain. "Oh man, you guys, you're giving me a heart-attack here," Bryan taunted while he tried to regain composure. "I thought you guys were unstoppable! At least try to give me a work-OUCH!"

Bryan's sentence was cut short as he was hit from behind with an unknown force. The kickboxing fiend quickly darted around to see his mysterious assailants, identifying them as his targets. Asuka and Xiaoyu, in their respective ShinkenWhite and ShinkenYellow suits, lowered their glowing hands and assumed a fighting stance. Beneath his helmet, the ex-policeman grinned with sadistic pleasure.

"Whoever you are, get away from my squeeze!" Asuka pointed an accusing finger at Bryan, not knowing the true identity of the fighter beneath the helmet. "Otherwise, we're gonna make sure you regret it!"

"No more fun? Awwww…," Bryan groaned before resuming his own fighting stance. "How about I play with you two foxy ladies for a bit, then?"

"That sounds good to me," Xiaoyu nodded her head before she and Asuka charged at Bryan. "We're going to show you that you don't mess with the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinken-"

Xiaoyu would not be able to complete her statement as she was sent rocketing away with a powerful straight punch that left blue sparks in its wake: the trademark of Bryan's Fury Mach Breaker. The Chinese young woman quickly flipped back onto her feet after she landed and resumed her advance while Asuka battled Bryan in her place. Asuka hit Bryan in the chin with a vertial elbow and knocked the kickboxer high into the air. Leaping off Asuka's shoulders after getting a good running start, Xiaoyu contined the assault on Bryan while he was still in mid-air, pummeling him with a rapid series of aerial kicks. The last of the kicks propelled the cyborg down the the ground while Xiaoyu landed gracefully.

Undaunted by such agility and grace, Bryan casually got back on his feet and dusted himself off, and then crossed his arms as Xiaoyu and Asuka came at him simultaneously. The two teenage women punched and kicked at Bryan, but the kickboxer dodged every one of their blows with almost little to no effort with simple movements of his head, upper body, and feet. However, he would be caught off-guard with the two of them moved with perfect symmetry and shot out this palms, hitting Bryan square in the chest and taking a few steps back in pain.

Unfortunately for the two girls however, Bryan was through playing around. "OK, ladies, you've forced my hand," he said with a much more serious tone as he reached for his holster and pulled out a dark purple sawed-off shotgun with dark red jewels on either side of the nozzle. "Say hello to my little friend!"

His firearm blazing with power, Bryan pulled the trigger and his weapon shot out numerous bursts of purple energy which ricocheted off the two girls in a huge shower of sparks, causing them to scream in raw agony. Unwilling to give them any sort of breather or respite, the murderous machine-man continued pulling the trigger of his weapons, with greater and more painful bolts of energy raining down on the hapless girls. Every few shots he would turn his attention back to Kenichi and Feng to shoot at them before they could renew their own assault, but it was clear that his targets were the women.

Finally, after what seemed like an endless array of suffering to the girls but was in reality a mere fifteen seconds, Bryan controlled his trigger-happy frenzy and quickly put his gun back in the holster at his hip, allowing the two girls to fall down onto their knees. Quickly running up to the two girls while they tried to stand back up, Bryan's fists shot out at each of them and hit them right in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of them. As a result, the two of them passed out in his arms while their suits disappeared from their bodies in a flash of light.

"This is how you know that you've done a good job," Bryan said out loud as he picked up Xiaoyu and Asuka and held them in each arm. "You've got a date in both arms!" The cyborg saw that Feng and Kenichi were now back on their feet and ready to fight, but he jumped over them with a near impossible leap and made a mad dash for the parking lot with the two female Shinkengers in tow.

"NO! LET HER GO NOW!" Kenichi shouted in anger while his wings glowed once again as he dashed after Bryan. The Japanese boy would rarely make such violent gestures, even those that would do him harm, because he felt that actions spoke louder than words. However, this would be the first time that he would ever experience a berserker rage, where his judgment and reasoning would become drowned in anger and sorrow. Asuka was his angel and the crown jewel of his very being: he wasn't about to let some madman who was notorious for slaying innocent lives just for the sheer sport of it whisk her away.

Pulling out his sword, Kenichi raised his blade high above his head while he rocketed towards Bryan, who was throwing the two girls into a royal blue sports car. The American turned around just in time to pull out his gun again to parry Kenichi's blade. The two of them grinded their weapons together with Kenichi continued to remain off the ground and in the air with his wings propelling him further into Bryan. "You can have them back when I'm done with them, Romeo," he said mockingly before finally breaking the deadlock and uppercut the boy away. "In the meantime, just sit back, relax, and pray that I don't have to put a bullet in your girls' heads."

"Hold it right there, Fury," Feng commanded as he caught Kenichi and placed him down next to him. "What do you want with them?"

"That's none of your business, Feng Wuss," Bryan taunted as he opened over the driver's side door of his vehicle. "However, if you want them back, tell your friend and the pretty boy Kazama to meet me and my employer at the usual place tonight at 2100 hours. If you guys arrive early or bring too many people, I'll kill them slowly. You're allowed to go with them as a guide, but don't go butting in. You're in deep water with him as it is…"

"…tell him I will be there as planned," Feng answered quietly as Kenichi took deep breaths while listening to the conversation. Once Bryan drove away, the Japanese youth looked at Feng in confusion. The Chinese martial artist took note of this and simply answered Kenichi's question before he could even say it out loud. "I know that he will not harm them until we get there."

"Do you mind telling me how you know this monster?" Kenichi asked a different question than what Feng had expected, with his voice quiet but filled with a chilling sense of sorrow and rage. "I thought you were trustworthy, Feng: am I to assume that this was a ruse set up by you and that madman?"

"…I will explain everything when the others get here. For now, just sit down and catch your breath: if we are to save Asuka and Xiaoyu, then we must prepare for the oncoming storm. Unfortunately, it is a storm that I heralded…and that storm's name is ShinkenSlayer!"


	19. Episode 18: Double Snare

Just when I got my hands on a PSP and DR, along comes the announcement that DR will be coming to PS3 via Sony's online shop. At least now I have one reason to get a Playstation 3, except all the reasons I have for NOT buying one still override that one reason. They didn't even update the graphics!

Enjoy the holidays, everyone!

---------

In order for a city to expand, sometimes it must say farewell to eras past to make way for newer, greater things. This held especially true for the massive city of Tokyo, where the population of the masses continued to swell at a rapid rate, leaving the local government scrambling to build new homes and buildings for the almost endless stream of people who came to Tokyo to make it their new home. However, there are times when there is no longer any available land to build a new structure, and thus older ones are torn down to create the proper amount of space.

Just as there was a graveyard for living creatures, so there was one for any material from the demolished structure that could still be put to use in other forms. However, the proper name of such a monument was not nearly as intriguing as a word such as "cemetery," but rather a more vulgar term that denoted the heaps and heaps of refuge that congregated to such a specific area: a "junkyard."

Ironically, the thing that three young men by the name of Kenichi Masamune, Jin Kazama, and Feng Wei were seeking did not qualify as refuge material. The trio had come to the city junkyard in search of their two missing comrades Asuka Kazama and Ling Xiaoyu, both of whom were kidnapped by the maniacal Bryan Fury mere hours before. Bryan had told Feng that if the lovely pair was to remain unharmed, he was to bring Jin and Kenichi to "the usual place."

"This is the place where we're supposed to fight that monster?" Kenichi said out loud while he inspected the mountains of garbage that were abundant as far as the eye could see. "It figures that Bryan would find a scrapyard hospitable: I wouldn't be surprised if some of the material here was used in his transformation into a cyborg."

"Bryan picked the time well: even with some of the lights on at the junkyard, it's still difficult to see clearly where Asuka and Xiao are being kept," Jin observed, noticing how some parts of the area were well-lit while others were concealed in the shadows of night. "Kenichi, try morphing and scanning the area with-"

As if on cue, more floodlights lit up to reveal a large crane a little over twenty meters away parked right next to a massive metal vat. The contents within the vat gave off steam that was visible even from the distance that the trio was watching from. However, the vat's contents were the least of their worries: dangling from the hook of the crane were Asuka and Xiaoyu, bound together with rope and gagged with handkerchiefs.

"It is time I explained to you how I came in possession of my morpher," Feng said calmly as Kenichi was about to morph. "A little under two weeks ago, I received a call from Tokyo that someone had found the sacred scrolls of Shinken, and was willing to give them to me if I cooperated with them."

"We can talk about that later," Jin replied abruptly while he and Kenichi glowed in unison before their respective ShinkenRed and ShinkenSilver suits formed on their bodies. "Right now we have to get Asuka and Xiao down from there!" Before they could spring into action, they froze in place as a chilling sensation filled their bodies. What they were feeling was a presence so malevolent and twisted that it struck terror into their very souls. Struggling to regain his composure, Jin looked around him to try and pinpoint the exact location of such a presence.

"As I was saying, I was blackmailed into donning the mantle of ShinkenBronze," Feng remained calm as he turned in the direction that Jin and Kenichi were looking to. "Isn't that right…Sorel?"

_Sorel…Jean Sorel!?_

The name rang loud throughout the minds of both Jin and Kenichi as the Japanese youths looked up to the top of a nearby car heap to see a medium-built blonde man with long golden hair tied back in a red bow, wearing a black tuxedo with a white undershirt, the top button undone to reveal a hint of his toned abs. His hands were dressed in red gloves with the tips of the fingers covered in sharp silver points, and sitting at his hilt was a thin rapier with a crimson hilt. However, the most striking feature about him was not his distinguished attire, but his pale skin and shining red eyes. _He's even more frightening than last time, _Jin observed as he quickly assumed a fighting stance. _I remember mother saying that his demons consumed him after his bout with my father but…I had no idea she meant that in a literal sense!_

Five weeks prior, Jin had held the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 specifically to lure Jean Sorel, the vice-president of G-Corporation, into his fists so he could beat out the location of his missing mother, who had been in the genetic giant's custody for seven years before. While Jin did indeed reunite his mother, he did not anticipate Jean following his own agenda as the crazed Frenchman turned the lives of anyone he came across upside-down in his war against the Mishimas.

"You called me by my name," Jean said with a hint of rage as he jumped down from the mound of scrap metal we had been standing proudly upon and landed a few feet away from the trio. "I guess that means you have indeed betrayed me! However, I supposed it can be overlooked," The madman's eyes shone with insanity while he turned to Jin and Kenichi. "You brought two of my finest adversaries to me, and for that I am grateful."

"I still haven't forgotten what you did to Asuka, you fiend," Kenichi pointed an accusing finger at Jean before assuming his own fighting stance. "Why are you doing this to her once again: didn't you do enough damage the last time?"

'_The last time,' _Jin repeated mentally with confusion, quickly darting his head to Kenichi's direction, _Asuka never told me that she had dealings with Jean!_

"It's quite simple, really: she and little Miss Xiaoyu are nothing more than bait," Jean answered casually, as if he was discussing the matter over tea. "You see, two weeks ago, Xiaoyu and a certain Tekken Fighter completely destroyed the small group of Jack-4 we sent to disrupt Heihachi's little peace charade." The Frenchman drew his rapier and smiled as he watched Jin and Kenichi jump back in surprise, expecting him to strike. Instead, he used his blade to point to Feng's wrist, and his morpher. "We came to the conclusion that Xiaoyu, and in fact the rest of your little Sentai, had possession of a classic morpher that could amplify one's capabilities a hundred fold. The Turkish diplomat had a similar suit, although not nearly as compact or as powerful as e that was brought forth by a henshin."

"I remember Irvin-san telling me that G-Corporation was hiring mercenaries for the upcoming war with the Zaibatsu, as well for the mysterious enemy that we've been fighting for the past three weeks," Kenichi lowered his fighting stance and crossed his arms, listening intently to Jean's tale. "I suppose it would make sense that you would also take steps to counter the power of our morphers after seeing their power, so that you could defeat the new enemy, as well as us. You're insane, to be sure, but you are certainly not stupid."

"You're damn right about my lack of stupidity, bishonen," Jean's smug smirk turned into a more serious expression upon hearing the boy's comment. "While I was at the tournament a few weeks back, some of my other associates were able to get their hands on the legendary Shinken scrolls, thus allowing me the means of luring an unsuspecting guinea pig to test-drive my prize creation: the morpher of ShinkenBronze. Normally I would do it myself, being the diehard tokusatsu fan I am, but it was far too early to reveal myself to you. He proved our success with his bout with that shape-shifter, and it was easy enough to make another one."

"I am hardly the unsuspecting guinea pig you claim that I am, Sorel," Feng shouted out angrily as he prepared to strike. "Perhaps if I tear your flesh asunder, you will be far more respecting of those who aided you! Once I do that, I can take the scrolls by force!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jean grinned sadistically as he casually sidestepped Feng's flying kick. "All I have to do is snap my fingers, and Mr. Fury will drop your two damsels into that vat of highly corrosive toxic waste. Isn't that right Mr. Fury?"

"I hear you loud and clear, boss," Bryan's voice echoed throughout the courtyard, as he was speaking through a megaphone from the driver's seat of the crane that he was sitting at. "Just give me the word, and these two sex dolls will be taking a swim in our custom-made hot bath!"

"You make me sick, Sorel," Jin clenched his fist in an attempt to control his rage, knowing that his dearest Xiaoyu would be dead if Jean had wished it. "Stop hiding behind our friends and fight!"

"That's exactly what I intend to do, my friend," Jean's smile only widen as he rolled up his right sleeve to reveal the very same device that Bryan was wearing a few hours earlier when he attacked Feng and Kenichi at Tokyo Tower: the morpher of the ShinkenSlayer. "As Feng can vouch on my behalf, the power of ShinkenSlayer is far more potent than that of ShinkenBronze. I brought you here so I can manhandle you fools personally: after all, you two are the only ones in your fine Sentai that have earned the privilege of battling me!"

After putting his rapier back in its sheath, Jean's emerald-colored ki crackled across his body while his morpher shone with a wicked light before uttering in a female robotic voice, "Standing by…" However, before the sinister martial artist could transform, Jin and Kenichi leapt into action and attacked with a pair of simultaneously-executed standing kicks. Jean bent over backwards to avoid getting a pair of feet to his face, and then muttered quietly the fateful word:

"Henshin."

Unwilling to wait for his suit to form entirely across his body, Jean righted himself and took to the offensive, grabbing the two legs before they could be put down onto the ground. Tucking the legs underneath his arms while his body was engulfed with darkness, Jean started with Jin's kneecap by lifting up his own foot and stomping on the joint, causing the young man to roar in pain. Jean let go of Jin's leg, and then used Kenichi's leg to swing the bishonen around until he collided into Jin. The Frenchman couldn't help but cackle as the darkness completely blanketed his body while Feng watched on, knowing that he couldn't interfere without endangering Xiaoyu and Asuka.

A few seconds later, his body became visible again to reveal his newest form: a familiar combination of purple, dark gray, and crimson. Jean's torso was adorned with the very same outfit that Bryan had donned hours ago, with one notable exception: instead of a holster carrying a handgun, hanging at Jean's hip was his rapier, it's blade as ebony as the night sky. "Now allow me to reintroduce myself in the proper tokusatsu fashion," Jean performed a quick flurry of kicks in the air as Jin and Kenichi got back onto their feet. "Drowning my foes in a cesspool of unending darkness," the Frenchman concluded his kata by stomping his foot on the ground and removing his rapier from his sheath, lifting it high in the air and striking a dynamic pose. "Behold the Disciple of Despair, ShinkenSlayer!"

Quickly getting out of his pose as his adversaries began their assault anew, Jean lunged at Jin with lighting speed, scraping his blade off his chest and drawing a shower of sparks as the Japanese man roared in agony. With Jin temporarily stunned, Jean turned his attention to Kenichi, who had just drawn his katana to counter the Frenchman's rapier. Kenichi swung his weapon in a horizontal slash, but Jean blocked the blade easily with his own and punished such a futile effort with a high-striking standing roundhouse kick.

Without even having to turn around, Jean put his rapier behind his back to catch Jin's fist with his blade before shooting his foot backwards and sending the surprised Jin sprawling backwards. Suddenly moving with lighting speed, Jean turned around to pursue Jin, and by the time the Japanese youth sprung back onto his feet, the Frenchman was there to greet him with a powerful knee to his stomach causing the man to bend over in pain while Jean prepared to impale the kneeling man with his rapier.

However, before he could deliver the fateful blow, Jean was sent flying back courtesy of Kenichi's straight punch. With his opponent momentarily preoccupied with trying to get back onto his feet after such an impact, Kenichi kneeled down to help his comrade. "Unbelievable," Jin muttered to Kenichi as he got back onto his feet. "We've only crossed fists with him for a little under a minute, and he's already all but guaranteed a victory. If we do somehow get an edge, all he has to do is snap his fingers and he wins automatically."

"Maybe if you distract him, I can get in close enough to the crane to rescue the girls even if those madmen decide to drop them," Kenichi suggested as they watched Jean get back onto his feet and crack his neck. "Once we do that, he'll be out of handicaps and then we can punish him with no regret." The Japanese youth quickly turned around to see Feng, who was clenching his fists in anger. "More importantly, without the girls to threaten, there wouldn't be anything Jean or Bryan could do to stop Feng from joining in."

"Are you two discussing a plan without my permission?" Jean shouted as he began to walk towards the two Japanese martial artists. "I won't have any of that!" With malicious intent in his eyes underneath his helmet, Jean bombarded Jin with a repetitive series of forward thrusts, eliciting a cry of pain with every stab. The stabs became increasingly faster in speed and execution, and the shouts of agony became louder. With his rapier shining with a wicked light, Jean concluded the seemingly-endless stings with a powerful lunge to Jin's leg, causing him to fall down.

"OK, bishonen, it's your turn-" Jean taunted as he waited for Kenichi to come at him…and continued to wait until he noticed that he was no longer participating in the battle. He wouldn't have to search far to find him: all Jean had to do was dart around to find the boy rushing towards the crane that Bryan was manning, his wings glowing bright blue and further propelling him. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," Jean sarcastically commented on Kenichi's rescue attempt and snapped his fingers. "Bryan, let them drop!"

"You got it, boss!"

"Xiao, NO," Jin was about to rush to his friend's aid, but was quickly stopped by Jean's foot to his chest as he was pushed back-first into the ground. Feng was about to come to his aid, but his advance was halted with a simple gesture of Jean's hand, creating a gust of wind that sent Feng flying into a nearby heap of spare tires.

"Sir Jin, have faith in the young genin," Jean spoke with mockingly comforting tone before suddenly switching to a far more serious tone. "I'm pretty sure he'll make it in time…at least, let's hope so."

-----

With those fateful words, Bryan pulled out a magnum from his pocket and leaned out of the door of the crane's cockpit, aimed his firearm carefully, and shot the rope that was keeping Asuka and Xiaoyu from falling to their deaths. With their lifeline severed, the two girls began to plummet to their dooms as Kenichi took to the air and increased his speed until his wings shone brighter than any star.

_Let me make it time…for all things holy, PLEASE let me make it in time!_

Kenichi prayed and hoped and he increased the velocity of his flight, pouring every ounce of his ki into his wings as he rocketed towards the two girls, who were still bound together and falling towards the vat of toxic waste. For anyone watching the boy's effort, it was truly a spectacle to see: it was as he was something greater than human trying to prevent two angels from falling into the depths of hell.

And miraculously, Kenichi caught the two girls, mere feet away from the vat of toxic waste, and quickly slowed down so that he could land. "YES!!" Kenichi exclaimed his victory as his feet screeched to a halt as he landed behind the vat and onto the dirt ground, leaving a massive cloud of dust in his wake. Quickly regaining control of his excitement, the Japanese youth inspected his two unconscious friends, and his excitement quickly turned to rage. They had numerous scrapes across their bodies, and their clothing had multiple tears as if someone had been slashing them with blades.

Before Kenichi could assess further damage, he felt a light thump at the back of his helmet. Slowly turning around, he realized that the thump was in fact the nozzle of Bryan's magnum, who was now standing over him with his weapon pointing to Kenichi's head. "Sorry, kid," he said with a cruel grin as he cocked his firearm. "Looks like I'm going to have to blows your brains out now."

However, Kenichi's hand was even faster than Bryan's inhuman reaction time, as the boy quickly drew his katana and spun around to slice the ex-policeman's handgun in two. Quickly standing back up, Kenichi used his free hand to bombard the surprised cyborg with a sextet of punches, concluding with a powerful roundhouse kick that sent Bryan spiraling to the ground.

Bryan flipped back onto his feet and gently rubbed where he had been struck. If he had the ShinkenSlayer morpher at that moment, rather than Jean, who was preoccupied trading blows with Jin, he could have swatted Kenichi like the fly he was. However, he didn't have the morpher, so now Kenichi was more evenly matched with him. _It doesn't matter, _he thought as he ran over to one of the heaps of wrecked cars, _I'm still much stronger than he is, and I'm willing to bet that Wonder-Boy here can't hold up against this little maneuver. _

"So you got to save your own bitch, AND Kazama's bitch as well," Bryan shouted loud enough for Kenichi to here as the boy slowly walked towards the cyborg. The ex-policeman, using his near-limitless strength, grabbed onto the bumper of one of the wrecked cars and yanked it from the heap, quickly backing away from the shifting pile. "Here's a special gift, courtesy of your Uncle Fury," Lifting the car over his head as easily as a child would lift up a football, Bryan hurled the vehicle at Kenichi with one arm, "take a look at your brand new CAR!"

Undaunted by such a crude attack, Kenichi lifted his katana and brought it down vertically as the vehicle came to him. The vehicle was sliced through the middle and peeled apart like a banana, completely missing Kenichi while its two halves continued flying in opposite directions. Bryan growled in frustration as he lifted another car from the pile next to him and launched another vehicle at the boy. With his katana once again cutting through the steel car like a hot knife through better, Kenichi gave the second vehicle the same treatment as the first.

"Listen kid, if you're wondering about why your girls are a little worse for wear," Bryan continued as he threw another vehicle (a mini-van, to be exact) at the boy that continued to make his slow and silent advance towards him, "we roughed them up a bit: it's not like we did anything raunchy! Besides, we're not into kids."

"They are not kids," Kenichi finally uttered as his rotated his katana clockwise until it glowed bright green. "They are young women who you kidnapped and tortured." With his wings shining once again, the bishonen rapidly gained momentum and sped towards Bryan at enormous speed. The cyborg quickly got into a fighting stance and shot out his formidable fist just as Kenichi sped past him, leaving blue sparks in its wake. He had definitely made contact, but he felt a slight itch in his left kneecap…

The two fighters remained perfectly still for a few seconds, knowing that they had just been struck with enormous amounts of power. After what seemed like an eternity, Kenichi spun around while a crack formed in his torso armor, putting his middle and index finger together and holding them out in front of him. With an uncharacteristically cold tone of voice, Kenichi hissed, "ARUKYO…TAI SAN!!"

Bryan's itchy kneecap blasted forth in a shower of sparks and flesh as Kenichi's slash revealed itself, causing the man to roar in agony as the cloth and skin covering his knee was cut open, revealing his metallic bones. The cyborg shouted and cursed as he hopped around comically gripping his damaged knee while Jean burst out laughing. "It's not funny," he shouted out through gritting his teeth as he turned back to Kenichi. "That was uncool, kid! I liked that knee!"

"My apologies, but only my sensei has the right to slash you in the more suitable areas," Kenichi replied with his usual polite demeanor while his anger subsided as he watched Feng walk up to the two girls. "I won't strike you down today, monster. All I shall do is say to you one thing: he is coming for you."

"Oh yeah," Bryan said as he hobbled back onto proper footing. "You can tell that pogo-loving pansy that I'm waiting!" The cyborg once again turned to Jean, who had regained his composure just in time to kick Jin away from him. "Hey boss, should I plug these two girls?"

"No, that's quite alright, Mr. Fury. Just let them be and head back to base."

"That goes for you too, Kenichi," Jin added as he got back up on dusted himself off. "You and Feng need to take Xiaoyu and Asuka home before this slimeball decides to threaten them again."

Kenichi raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet as he heard Jin utter such an unexpected command. "Do you honestly think you can take him on by yourself? He might be too much for you."

"Right now the girls are the top priority, and as a martial artist, I'd prefer to fight him one-on-one," Jin replied truthfully. Throughout the past three weeks, Jin had time and time again pulled his loosely-knit team together to form a single cohesive unit, leading them to victory every time though sometimes their enemy was bigger and stronger. Even though Kenichi still knew that Jin's ulterior motive was to pummel Jean personally, he respected the simple wisdom of his command and bowed. Jin nodded his head as he stood back before concluding, "Tell Hwoarang and Steve that I'll be back shortly, and to get the usual medical supplies ready for when I get back."

Feng watched on with amazement at how calmly Jean and Jin were acting despite their seething hatred for each other. However, he too was a martial artist who respected the ways of a fair fight. _I'll wrest the scrolls from the clutches of those madmen another day, _he thought as he picked up the unconscious Xiaoyu in his arms while Kenichi held Asuka close to him before doing to same. _Sorel and Fury…soon they both will know the folly of crossing me…once I avenge Dragoon, anyway._

--------

After watching all the other players leave the scrap yard, Jean and Jin turned to each other and slowly sidestepped in a clockwise direction, circling and sizing up each other cautiously. "I thank you very much for telling the young Masamune to leave the battlefield with his precious Asuka," Jean said quietly before drawing his rapier once again. "I do not want to have someone as noble as him to be stained with blood at such a young age, and I do hope that if Mademoiselle Kazama wakes up, she gives the young monsieur a night that he will hold dearly in his heart…"

"'If' she wakes up," Jin repeated with a hint of confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"You didn't I'd make things so easy that you'd just have to pick them up like a bunch of teenagers going to the prom, did you?" Jean put his rapier back in his sheath and crossed his arms. "Shortly after Bryan picked them up, he injected a poison within their bloodstream. It won't kill the victim instantly, but after a few hours they will most certainly be dead." The Frenchman tilted his head slightly as he observed Jin's reaction: even though his face was masked by his helmet, the Japanese youth's body language made clear his shock. "Surprised? Don't be: you should know by now that I never make things easy."

"You monster," Jin growled quietly as his fists burned with his crimson ki. "Why can't you just leave us alone?" Raising his fist at the Frenchman, Jin ran towards Jean with violent intent with his hands crackling with power. Unfortunately for him, the maniac had anticipated such a maneuver and shot out his middle and index finger at Jin's head, smashing through his visor and gently touching the Japanese man's forehead. Once he had made contact, Jean took advantage of Jin's confusion and muttered something incoherently. A split-second later, Jean's hand flashed bright green and elicited a cry of raw agony from his opponent.

_What's happening to me, _Jin thought through an overwhelming sea of pain and suffering, _it's as if every cell in my body is boiling black!_

"That, my friend, is a little technique I've been playing with," Jean answered Jin's unspoken question with sinister glee as he watched Jin's body radiate with dark energy. "All I needed was the proper nudge to get you angry, and then used my special technique to amplify that rage one-hundred fold…and I think we all know what happens when you get too angry! You see, I don't want to fight as you are now…I want to the Jin that defeated me in the previous tourney!"

"You…you're a monster!"

That was all Jin could say while his visor regenerated itself and his body continued to darken. He knew this feeling all too well: he was about to transform again.

"If you want to save Xiaoyu and Asuka, you will have to beat the antidote out of me," Jean drew his rapier and took a few steps back. "Hate me, despise me…and don't disappoint me!"

As the last threads of sanity unraveled in the two men, Jin began to transform…


	20. Episode 19: Seek and Destroy

When Kazuya Mishima impregnated Jun Kazama during the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, he also left behind a fragment of his power in the WWWC officer's body, so the child that she would bear would possess what would later be dubbed his "Devil Gene." After Kazuya's supposed demise at the hands of his father Heihachi at the conclusion of that tournament, the Devil spirit left Kazuya's body and approached Jun in an attempt to seize control over the unborn child.

Jun succeeded in driving it away, but the Devil Gene remained in her child, who a few months later she would give birth to and name "Jin."

Nineteen years later, Jin would realize the power of his Devil Gene when Heihachi would shoot him into the head, knowing the wrath of the Devil personally and wishing to prevent his grandson from experiencing it. The blast would have killed an ordinary human, but Jin transformed for the first time, crashing Heihachi through the wall of the temple they were located at and flying away on black feathery wings. In the three years that followed, Jin had numerous struggles with his dark power that would occasionally take control of him from time to time.

However, Jin had believed that he had conquered his inner demon with the return of his missing mother. What he did not count on was someone drawing it out from the outside…

…which was exactly what his hated enemy, the maniacal Jean Sorel, had done only a few seconds ago, after Jin, Kenichi, and Feng had gone to the city dump to rescue their two captured comrades Asuka and Xiaoyu from Jean's employee Bryan Fury. After Jean made his presence known, he used the morpher that Bryan had utilized to subdue the Shinkengers hours before to morph into ShinkenSlayer to combat Jin. However, Kenichi managed to evade Jean long enough to rescue Asuka and Xiaoyu and deal Bryan a humiliating defeat.

Wishing to continue their feud privately, Jean and Jin told their respective allies to leave the scrapyard. Once everyone had left the area, Jean told his adversary that Bryan had poisoned Xiaoyu and Asuka, and he was the only one with the antidote. Enraged, Jin lashed out at Jean, but the maniac used an unknown technique to warp Jin's mind and draw out his Devilish powers.

_To defeat him in all of his demonic glory, _Jean thought with excitement as he watched Jin roar in agony and writhe in pain as his body was engulfed in a dark aura, _this is the moment I've dreamed about for the past month. Jin Kazama…I shall deliver the coup de grace this time around!_

Jin's platinum vest was now dark gray, hissing as black markings appeared on it as if an invisible cattle prod was branding it. The jewel on his chest bubbled out a dark red ooze like an hemorrhaging wound, while his white gloves became black as the night sky with his fingers transforming into full-fledged claws. The Japanese youth screamed while black wings erupted from his back, the feathers of which were razor-sharp and leaving a spray of sparks and blood in their wake. His horns sprouted out from his temples and out of the sides of his helmet, and then grew parallel to Jin's eyesight. As a crimson ruby adorned itself just above Jin's black visor, the karateka let out a primal roar as he bore his claws and made his anguish known to the world.

After he finished screaming, Jin slowly turned his head towards Jean and shot him a look of raw hatred, his glowing red eyes shining through his black visor so that his opponent could see his resentment. With his hands outstretched, Jin leapt towards Jean with inhuman speed and strength, his claws bared and his eyes continuing to shine. Pouncing on his foe, Jin began to slash wildly at the prone Jean's abdomen and drawing forth sparks with every swipe. After the forth scratch, Jean wedged his leg between him and Jin and kicked the berserker off of him.

Flipping back onto his feet, Jean quickly lashed out at the reeling Jin with rapier, clipping the crazed warrior in the collarbone. The fencing kickboxer rolled his neck around and cracked his neck while Jin gripped his collarbone in pain, and then resumed his assault by using his free hand to latch onto Jin's neck. With the power of his ShinkenSlayer suit supporting him, Jean lifted the Japanese fighter off the ground as easily as a child would lift a toy, and slammed him into a nearby heap of metal. Jean had no intention of letting Jin get a chance to breathe, and proceeded to ram his knee into the man's torso numerous times with his hand still strangling the Japanese man.

To Jean's surprise, Jin caught the knee and dug his claws into it, ripping through Jean's deceptively durable spandex with another spray of sparks, revealing the pale flesh it concealed. Moving with lightning speed so that he could avoid getting the lower part of his leg torn off, Jean lifted his other leg off the ground and kicked Jin in the head with an impressive counter-attack, breaking Jin's hold and landing on his back. When he tried to get back up, Jean was blown away with a powerful gust of wind that sent him at least ten meters away from his foe. _Remarkable, _he thought to himself as he lifted his head to see what had just sent him careening like a thistle in a hurricane and saw that it was the simple flapping of Jin's wings, _I didn't think those wings of his could generate such power._

"SHI-NE!!!"

That single word rang throughout the junkyard as Jin used his already-beating wings to launch himself at his opponent at a speed so intense that not even the seasoned Jean could react to it. Once he was right in front of the madman, Jin shot his foe into the air with a standing uppercut that left red ki in its wake: the signature of an Electric Wind Godfist, a technique that Jin had supposedly forsaken a long time ago. As Jean plummeted helplessly in the air, he was kept afloat by air a right hook, a left straight and another uppercut before being sent spiraling to the ground with a standing roundhouse kick.

Undaunted by such power and speed, Jean landed on his hands and righted himself gracefully. Ready to get back on the offensive, Jean narrowly dodged a straight kick and thrust his rapier into Jin's torso. This time, he hit his mark, piercing Jin's suit and flesh. "I know enough about the human body to know that I didn't hit anything vital," Jean whispered while he let Jin fall to his knees. "I want you to enjoy every single bit of pain and misery I have planned for you!"

Ignoring the pain, Jin pushed Jean away from him, and thus removing the blade from his body while miraculously not cutting anything serious on its way out. The Japanese man did not bother with something as common as standing, but rather with a monstrous leaping uppercut, grabbing Jean by the throat the very instant his blow made contact. With Jean in his grasp, Jin used his wings to take flight, and then pummel back down to grind his opponent's head in the dirt ground. Growling while standing back up, Jin took the air once again and stomped on his prone adversary's chest, eliciting a cry of agony.

However, Jean's pain certainly wasn't great enough to prevent him from sweeping Jin off of his feet with a low kick as he stood back up, taking the offensive once again by grinding his heel into Jin's left wing. "Those wings of yours are getting on my nerves," he said coldly as he lifted Jin back up while his rapier glowed with power. "Fortunately, I have a remedy for such a dilemma."

Putting his rapier back in its sheath, Jean latched onto Jin's right wing. Jin struggled violent, but Jean's kick to his throat quickly put a stop to that. The Japanese man couldn't even scream as he struggled to breathe. Of all of the opponents Jin had ever faced, Jean was one of the deadliest simply because of his intense knowledge of the human body: he would always know exactly where to hit or cut. "If you thought that hurt, my friend," the French maniac taunted as his grip on Jin's wing tightened, " just wait until you feel…THIS!"

CRACK!

With a sickening snap, Jean broke the razor-feathered wing that he was holding as easily as someone would break a piece of candy. A sadistic smile crept onto his lips as he watched Jin try and yell out in pain, but the blow to his throat had silenced him momentarily. However, Jean knew full well that Jin was crying on the inside. "Oh don't worry," Jean said as he pulled out his rapier while stepping away slightly to avoid Jin's claws while still maintaining his grip on the broken wing. "It gets better."

The Frenchman continued mangling the wing by applying his blade to the part of the wing that he broke and cutting at it in a saw-like motion like he was cutting through wood, punching Jin in the throat to once again keep him from screaming. After he had cut through the main tendon, Jean let his hands do the rest and tear the wing off like as easily as a person would tear through paper.

Jean couldn't help but admire his "souvenir" that he had cut out while Jin crumpled to the ground kicking his legs wildly in the air. It was clear that Jin's agony was unprecedented as the Frenchman did the unthinkable by tearing off the wing of one of the most fearsome living things known to man. After tossing the wing away, Jean walked over to Jin's fallen body and lifted his rapier. "I think you've suffered enough…time for you to die-AIIII!!"

Jean was sent flying back by a surprise blast of ki from Jin and as the Japanese man desperately tried to turn the tables. When the maniacal fencer got back onto his feet. He saw that Jin was no longer lying on the ground. "Running away to catch your breath, I see," he taunted as he quietly scanned the area surrounded him before venturing through the forest of garbage heaps where he believed Jin to be hiding. "Could it be that I've finally struck fear into the heart of the demon?"

-------

_He's but scum, _Jin thought through an ocean of pain and hate as he looked at his amputated stump that was once his wing. In long career of fighting, there was nothing that had ever caused him so much anguish and physical pain that Jean had been inflicting upon him the past few minutes. _Why can't I defeat him!? _

"Are you afraid?" he heard Jean shout out while he looked around the scrap heaps to try and locate which one Jin was hiding behind. Even though insanity and rage was still abundant in Jin's mind, there was still enough logic left in his head to realize that he was indeed afraid. He had never faced anyone like Jean before their match in the previous King of Iron Fist tournament. "Come out and face me like the man I know you are!"

Steeling his nerves, Jin left the concealment of the scrap heap he was hiding behind and shot a thin beam of power from the jewel on his forehead. Jean turned around just in time to swat it away with a flick of his rapier, and counter the blast with one of his own: a thin ray that emitted from his blade that cut one of the scrap heaps in half horizontally and depriving Jin of a potential sanctuary. Rolling away from a secondary blast, Jin hid behind another mountain of garbage as Jean ran in hot pursuit.

"The fearless Jin Kazama running for cover like man under fire," Jean taunted while he resumed his search for his foe. "I'm sure there's a joke somewhere in that, but what's really funny is that while you're off licking your wounds hoping that I'll be blindsided when I finally find you, your precious girls are quickly running out of time!"

At that very instant, Jin stopped thinking about his wounds and more about the stipulations of their fight. If he didn't defeat Jean soon, Asuka and Xiaoyu would soon die. He imagined Kenichi holding Asuka's lifeless body, desperately trying to awaken her even though she had fallen into an eternal sleep. Even though Kenichi was remarkably mature for someone of his youthful age, Jin was quite aware of his rather fragile psyche, and Asuka's death would probably be the breaking point for his already troubled soul.

And then there would be Xiaoyu's death. It was a little over a week ago when she and Jin would share their first kiss if not for the sumo whale Shamutori arriving on the scene and devouring her. Jin came remarkably close to losing her that day, and he would soon lose her again if things kept going the way they were. He dreaded the thought of explaining to her parents in China that their daughter died slowly by poisoning while the Jin that she had told them so much about could do nothing to prevent it.

If I don't do something soon, Xiao is going to die, Jin thought as he let an adrenaline rush wash away the excruciating pain of his amputated wing. I refuse to let that happen…not while I still love her! Clenching his claws hands into a fist, Jin once again began to burn with dark red ki that dripped off of him like liquid fire. The Japanese man knew that Jean would spot him shortly, and he would have to be ready to pounce on him when he did.

"Ready or not, Jin," Jean said in a sing-song voice as he approached the garbage heap that Jin was hiding behind, "here I-"

What came next was not Jean skewering his foe, but Jin's glowing fist smashing into Jean's face, shattering the crimson visor of his helmet to reveal a pair of surprised red eyes. Before Jean knew what was going on, his head was grabbed by Jin and smashed into the garbage heap that had acted as Jin's shield. Like a man possessed, Jin repeated the maneuver again and again, drowning out the pain that he was feeling by relishing in the pain he was inflicting.

After the eighth crash an unknown metal object that resided in the heap, the back of Jean's helmet received the same treatment as the front, cracking open to reveal Jean's long golden hair. The Frenchman, now mad as a hornet, brought down his rapier on Jin's chest, going back up with a vertical cut, and concluding with a forward kick that sent Jin flying backwards.

"I'm tired of playing your sick game, Sorel," Jin screamed as his hands once again dripped with evil ki, his throat finally recovering from the effects of Jean's kicks. "I'm going to end it now!" With the jewel on his head following suit with his hands, Jin watched Jean get his rapier sparkling again and duck down like a sniper preparing to shoot a rifle. The rapier dripped with dark purple ki in the same liquid fashion of Jin's hands.

After what seemed like an eternity of gathering what was left of their energy, Jin and Jean shouted out simultaneously, "SHINKEN FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUE…" and fired off the amassed power that flowed from their bodies to the outside world…

"TEKKENSHU INFERNO!"

"SLAUGHTER RAY!"

The two waves of power clashed against each other violently as Jin and Jean struggled to get the upper hand over the other. The winner of this "ki war" would claim certain victory over the other, who not only would be seriously wounded, but completely drained of his stamina. Jean stood back up and slowly began walking towards Jin, pushing against the surge of red power. Jin roared and gnashed his teeth, trying to keep Jean from getting any closer, as the strain on his body became worse as Jean's beam inched towards him.

Suddenly, Jin's remaining wing shot out a knife-like feather that traveled through the beams and ricocheted off Jean's blade, causing him to drop his rapier, and thus take the full brunt of Jin's three rays of power. The blast propelled him into one of the nearby metal scrap heaps, pushing him deeper into the pile as Jean's ShinkenSlayer suit began to burn, propped up off the ground by Jin's technique.

When the triplet rays finally subsided, Jean fell flat on his face onto the ground, his ShinkenSlayer suit fading away in a haze of dark purple energy. "Drat…it shorted out," he groaned while he trying to get back up, unable to right himself and settling for just rolling onto his back. Willing his left hand into motion, Jean put his morpher to his mouth. Before he could say anything however, Jin grabbed his wrist and unhooked the morpher, tossing it far across the scrapyard and out of sight.

"I'll rip your face off, you monster," Jin hissed as he bared his claws in preparation for a killing blow, picking up Jean by his collar with one hand while his red eyes shone through his visor and burning into Jean's soul. Rearing his claws back, Jin watched Jean open his eyes and see what would be his end.

However, before Jin could begin disemboweling his hated foe, a vision flashed into his mind. The vision soothed him, and eased the violent tension that had gripped his body and soul. Jin instantly recognized the emotion for what it was: a vision of his mother, the very embodiment of tranquility. Jin took comfort in his inner light, and dropped Jean back on the ground while his wings (or rather, his remaining wing and the stump of his amputated one) and horns shrunk back into his body. "Consider yourself lucky that I regained control," the Japanese man said to the prone Jean while his ShinkenRed suit returned to its original state and color before fading in a flash of red light. "Now give me the antidote."

"There is no antidote," Jean replied quietly as he caught his breath while lying down staring into the starry sky, "because there is no poison. I just made that up to get you angry." Turning to Jin and looking at him with his crimson-colored eyes, Jean continued. "Did you really think me so low that I would do something like that? I may be a little bit loopy, but I am still a gentleman, and poisoning a maiden is taboo even for me."

"…I never considered you a man of honor," Jin gripped his back in pain as he tried to lean down. "How is it that you know Kenichi and Asuka? They have nothing to do with the Zaibatsu or Kazuya."

Jean chuckled slightly before wincing in pain and answered Jin's question. "You honestly do not know? I would have figured that your parents would have trusted you farther than that."

"What do they have to do with anything?"

Jean became uncomfortably silent for a few moments before answering, "pardon the cliché but…go ask your father: he will have all the answers." As Jean said that, Jin felt the wind pick up around him. Initially confused at first, Jin followed Jean's gaze and looked up into the air to see a large helicopter hovering above them. "That would be my ride," Jean mumbled as he stood up and limped towards his rapier. "Aren't you going to stop me?"

"…no." Jin put his hands in his pockets as he quietly observed Jean pick up his rapier and grab onto the ladder that descended from the helicopter. "I probably should, but I won't."

"Then until next time, good messier," Jean weakly waved goodbye as he was lifted off the ground while the helicopter ascended back into the sky and fly away, "I shall see you at the next tournament!"

'_Ask my father', he says, _Jin mused while he began limping out of the scrapyard. _I wonder what he meant by that…is it possible that there's more to Asuka than meets the eye? Come to think of it, I haven't seen my father in almost a month: does it coincide with Asuka coming to Tokyo?_

---------

_Despite Jin's suspicions, my seclusion prior to Astaroth's revival had nothing to do with young Asuka: to be honest, I had no idea she was coming to Tokyo when she did. However, that is a tale for another time. _

_Shortly after I heard about the incident at Tokyo Tower, I dispatched one of my Lizard-men to hide in the shadows and observe the battle with a small camera hooked onto its face. The resulting bout gave me more detailed information about the Shinkenger's power than any previous outing. Judging from Jin's transformation, the power and appearance of a Shinkenger varied upon its user. When my son's Devil Gene took hold, the suit morphed along with it and further amplified his abilities. _

_A hour later, my scout had returned, and it was carrying an item. Upon handing it to me, my spirits rose even further. The item was about the size of a computer mouse, and dark gray in color. Engraved upon the device were the two kanji "Tekken" etched in violet. It was none other the morpher of ShinkenSlayer. _

_The Lizard-man had far exceeded my expectations: now I, too, possessed the power of the Shinkenger. Equipped with such a device, my power would far exceed Sorel, my son, and even Heihachi. Before I could personally reek terror upon my foes, I had something far more interesting in mind._

_For if I could generate enough power to resurrect a creature as powerful as Astaroth, what would I be able to do with the might of ShinkenSlayer coursing through my veins?_


	21. Episode 20: Ryoku

I just came back to see the We Are Marshall movie: while it's a great movie, it could have been a lot better. I still recommend it to anyone who likes movies in general, though!

This is probably the last chapter I'll put up before winter break, so have fun!

---------

_Twenty-one days… _

_It had been twenty-one days since I had sent Astaroth on his first assignment to wreak havoc upon the Marunouchi building and assault the minor company Genesat, which was a subsidiary of its larger parent: the genetics firm G-Corporation. My plan was simple: by working behind the scenes, I could attack my ex-benefactors at G-Corporation at will without having to worry about being bothered by some of my more troublesome allies._

_It had also been twenty-one days since the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger also made their presence known to the world by interfering with Astaroth's mission. Originally the team consisted of three young martial artists, but within the two days following their premiere, had added two more to their ranks. These five consisted of the Tae Kwan Do practitioner known only as "Hwoarang," my "niece" Asuka Kazama, the English boxer Steve Fox, the lithe Chinese martial artist Ling Xiaoyu, and my son Jin Kazama._

_After the first three Shinkenger appeared, I began fiddling around with the same book that I had used to summon Astaroth to create a rather bizarre array of lieutenants. Each of these "kaiju" had their own unique attributes that ranged from the martial art they used to the personality they possessed. I have often theorized about why these personality quirks appear, such as Drill Sergeant's accent and Gal's questionable preferences, but so far I have drawn blanks._

_Regardless, all of my creations were fierce warriors that stood beside Astaroth and his Lizard-man horde to combat the Shinkenger all across Tokyo. At one point, the chaos had spread to Kyoto, where Jin and his compatriots grew suspicious of the pattern of my attacks. As if to answer my challenge, yet another Shinkenger made himself a player in my little game: Kenichi Masamune, the son of one of my late bodyguards._

_Not long after Kenichi joined the team, the Chinese Kenpo master Feng Wei crushed another one of my plans as ShinkenBronze, although his joining the Shinkenger group would be delayed by his own agenda. After Astaroth executed my renegade lieutenant Dragoon, however, Feng was much more willing to cooperate with the team._

_Normally this would not bode well for me, but instead it gave way to my greatest triumph. The very next day after Dragoon's demise, G-Corporation made their move by revealing the power of ShinkenSlayer and tearing through the team like a tornado, kidnapping Asuka and Xiaoyu to force my son into a showdown with my own enemy Jean Sorel. Jin succeeded in defeating Sorel, but the true victor would be myself, as one of my Lizard-man would fetch me a most interesting souvenir: the ShinkenSlayer morpher._

_The Shinkenger were unaware of this at that time, but they knew full well that very soon I would be returning every defeat that had given me in kind. As such, they formulated a plan…_

------

"Here's the map you asked for," Xiaoyu pulled out a long roll of paper from one of the shelves in the library and walked into the lobby where Jin and the rest of her comrades sat waiting for her. Even though Jin was still feeling the after-effects of his bout with the insidious Jean Sorel, he refused to let that stop him from continuing his quest to eliminate Astaroth's threat to the city. There was no more time to waste: the Shinkenger had to locate the golem before he could strike again.

And to do that, he would need everyone's cooperation.

"Thank you, Xiao," Jin nodded his head in thanks as Xiaoyu handed him the map and he rolled it out onto the coffee table. "I think that it's time nip this in the bud once and for all." The karateka pointed at a certain area on the map and then lifted his head to make eye contact with his comrades. "If we're going to stop Astaroth, we'll have to find out where his base is, and that means we'll have to trace where he keeps retreating." Taking out a red pen from his pocket, Jin removed the cap and drew a line from where he was pointing. "When Astaroth attacked the Marunouchi building, he retreated in the direction I'm drawing now."

"So basically your plan is to figure out which way he keeps running, and then sweep the area from there," Hwoarang observed as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I'm impressed, Kazama. Too bad you didn't think of it from the get-go." The Korean youth reached out for a black marker that was sitting on the table and picked it up, removing its cap before placing the tip on its own line. "I may have been little non-sober at the time, but I remember clearly that Astaroth was heading in this direction…" Running the tip down the map, Hwoarang's line eventually crossed paths with Jin, forming a long "x" shape.

Jin and Hwoarang looked at where their paths crossed and smiled. Simply by drawing the two lines, they had begun to narrow down the number of places where Astaroth could have retreated. Granted, the land that had now been singled out was still massive, but it was a decent start.

"I also remember when we first found Steve," Asuka butted in and took out a pink highlighter from her pockets and placed the now uncovered tip at the point on the map that denoted the Tokyo National Museum where the Shinkenger battled Polevolt the Escrima Magnet. "After we showed up, ol' Asty bolted down this street…" In the same fashion as Jin and Hwoarang drew their lines, so Asuka drew hers, running the line across the street that she claimed to see Astaroth run through. The street had many different twists and turns, and she often had to stop and think what direction the golem might have taken that would support the lines that her comrades drew.

Finally, Asuka decided which turns Astaroth might have taken and represented the routes with broken lines. "I'm doing it like this because he might have taken either one of these roads to get to where he was going with what happened at the Marunouchi and his run-in with Hwoarang," she explained as she capped her highlighter and admired her handiwork.

"Oh!" Xiaoyu exclaimed as she took out a yellow highlighter and placed the uncapped tip on the part of the map that represented where they ran into Mong Kong the Muay Thai Gorilla: Mishima High School. "That reminds me: Asuka and I saw Astaroth go down this direction when we first met up with Hwoarang!" The Chinese woman ran the marker down the map, stopping occasionally to think of any turns just as Asuka had done. After a while, Xiaoyu completed her line by crossing paths with all of the previous lines drawn.

Suddenly, a snicker came from Steve's mouth as he covered his face in slight embarrassment. Noticing that his comrades were giving him strange looks, the blonde man pushed up his nosepinch glasses and regained his composure. "I know it sounds weird of me saying this during a business meeting but…" Steve took out a blue pen and started snickering again, "…have you noticed something peculiar about the choice of pens we've been using?"

Hwoarang, Jin, Asuka, and Xiaoyu all looked at their writing utensils and raised their eyebrows in curiosity. By a sheer stroke of coincidence, all four of them had picked out pens or writing utensils that had to do with their respective Shinkenger color. The quartet was silent for a few seconds, as if noticing this brought about a paradox that they felt obliged to solve. The silence was broken when Asuka quickly let go her highlighter in disgust and shouted, "EWW! I hate pink!"

"Uh, Steve," Hwoarang said without breaking gaze with his pen, "is there any reason WHY you're talking about this?"

"Not really," Steve said while pulling out a blue ink pen and removing its cap. "Just some food for that." Steve shook his pen violently to make sure that its ink would flow accordingly before placing the exposed tip on yet another location: the Asakusa Hanayashiki theme park. "Not long after Hwoarang and Asuka swapped bodies at the hands of those tigers, Astaroth ran off in this direction." As Steve charted where Astaroth might have retreated to by following the pattern his comrades discovered, he looked up to Asuka and smirked. "Never had a chance to ask, luv: how did it feel to be one of the guys?"

"Will you shut up about that?" Asuka leaned over and lightly whacked Steve over his head before sitting back down in a normal position. "That's something I'd like to keep buried in my head." Suddenly, Feng stood up from the couch he was sitting on to get an overhead view of the map that the Shinkenger had been marking shamelessly. Asuka noticed her ex-nemesis's action and asked, "Is something wrong, big guy?"

"I'm just thinking about where all of this is going," Feng reached over to grab an orange marker and placed a mark just next the Tokyo Summerland. "When Dragoon hurled Astaroth away in order to save the lives of myself and a young woman, he tossed the monster in the same direction that all these other lines seem to be heading." Unlike the lines that his comrades had drawn, the course of Feng's marker was straight as a needle.

The marker went past the other lines to stop somewhere on the outskirts of Tokyo. Feng lifted his marker and joined his comrades in contemplation of what they had created: the lines they had drawn formed a "V" that opened up to the north of the city: a place that was relatively rural.

"There aren't many places he can hide in that area," Kenichi finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity of him being silent. "There would have at least been reports of him being sighted if it was in one of the suburban parts of northern Tokyo…" Kenichi stroked his chin and then snapped his fingers. "Wait a moment…when I defeated that vulture character, I managed to make contact with the mysterious leader who has been ordering Astaroth."

"And you didn't tell us?" Hwoarang exclaimed with a hint of rage. "If you had any information that could have helped us track these guys down, you should've spoken up!"

"I couldn't make anything conclusive so I didn't bother saying anything," Kenichi replied calmly. "All he said is that he knew my father…which means he might have been connected to the Zaibatsu at one point."

"There are a few places that the Zaibatsu own or once owned in this area," Jin pulled out a pencil and circled a total of five areas. "Two of these are part of Mishima Heavy Industries, and the other three have been condemned after Heihachi won the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2…" To everyone's surprise, Jin took the map off the table before saying, "I think that's enough for today. Tomorrow morning we'll check out those two areas. In the meantime, I'm giving you guys the day off: we need to be fully rested if we're going to track down that monster to his lair…"

------------

Meanwhile… 

"…Interesting"

Kazuya mumbled to himself as he sat at his desk reading the book that he had taken from his father's library. For the past three weeks, he had immersed himself in the book while Astaroth or one of the many lieutenants he created for him were off doing errands for him. The more he read into the book, the more powerful his sorcery would become. Kazuya was almost certain that he had long surpassed Jean's level of supernatural technique, but there was always one problem: he could never create a body completely from scratch. Everything he had created, he had done with an object to work with.

However, Kazuya was no fool: he knew that there was an answer as to why he couldn't create something completely fresh. The reason was simple: he simply wasn't powerful enough. Even with all of his fearsome might, Kazuya's mortal body could not harness the type of energy required for such a task.

With the power of ShinkenSlayer, though, this obstacle was now overcome. All that remained was that Kazuya learned just what he would have to do in order to summon the soul that would be worthy enough to inhabit a completely artificial body. For that, Kazuya required more extensive research.

"Hey boss!"

Kazuya looked up from his book to see Astaroth walking into his "office" within the abandoned laboratory they were stationed in. Placing his ax over his shoulder, the golem said with a voice full of arrogance and boredom, "There's someone outside who wants to speak to you. She's a woman…"

"…as opposed to a man?" Kazuya replied as he raised an eyebrow but refusing to break his gaze on the book, "did she state her name?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," a female voice added as a lithe figure slowly walked up from behind Astaroth and to the door of Kazuya's office. At the sound of that familiar voice, Kazuya looked up to see a stunning beautiful Asian woman with short black hair held together with a white headband wearing a strapless silver dress and black trenchcoat. "I told him my name was Jun Kazama."

"Jun Kazama," Astaroth slowly turned around and looked down at the woman while scratching his chin. "Kazuya told me about you…I was under the impression that you were dead from how he mentioned about how you were mauled by that God of Fighting."

"…I was dead," she said quietly while stepping into the office and slowly walking towards Kazuya. "However, to put it lightly, I got better…"

Astaroth burst out laughing in that awful voice of his, and then turned back around to ask Kazuya, "Is she OK to come in?" After Kazuya nodded, Astaroth resumed laughing (albeit quieter) as he repeated Jun's "I got better" line out loud before laughing at higher volumes once again. Once Astaroth was out of earshot, Kazuya resumed reading his book while Jun approached him.

"I see you have associated yourself with some…interesting bedfellows, Kazuya," she said in her normal clam and collected voice as she stopped in front of Kazuya's desk. "I am curious as to the reptilian creatures that I have been hearing about…"

"They were like that when I found them," Kazuya retorted with a hint of amusement while he finally closed his book and placed it down on the desk. "The last thing I need is the WWWC breathing down my neck again. How was your trip with my brother?"

"…it was uneventful," she replied truthfully. "I missed you, Kazuya…but I see that you have found ways to keep yourself preoccupied…"

"You no longer require the veil of ignorance," the Japanese man got out of his seat and began to head out the door. "Are you here to stop me?"

"I know that I cannot. The chain of events has already been set into motion, and you have always been one to follow your own path…all I can do is watch as they unfold, and try to show you the best way to your destiny…"

"You will do nothing? That is so unlike you," Kazuya stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What reason do you have for taking such action, or the lack thereof?"

Jun was silent, and Kazuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering why she didn't have a counter right off hand. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jun answered with a surprising simple reply. "A month ago, I told you that I would stay by your side: if I stood against you, all it would do is create more hatred."

Kazuya paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and walking out of the office, leaving Jun with simple but truthful words, "I will take that to heart, Jun…in the meantime, sit back and marvel at the wonders that I am about to invoke…"

----

_Ten minutes later…_

_Most peculiar indeed, _Kazuya thought to himself while he strapped on his newly acquired ShinkenSlayer morpher. _Jun is highly psychic, to be sure, but not even she could have been able to track me here in the course of just one day…unless she knew about it well in advance. _As his mind continued to be ripe with contemplation, Kazuya's ki crackled across his body and flowed directly into his morpher until it uttered in a feminine voice, "Standing by…"

_Even if she did know where I was, it is unlike her to just say nothing even though she probably knew what would ensue after she left for America thanks to her precognitive skills…is it possible that she has her own agenda for wanting me to continue with my plan? _Kazuya lifted up his wrist to his face and whispered that fateful word which the morpher repeated.

"Henshin."

As Kazuya's body became engulfed in dark purple ki, he walked over to the operating table that was adorned with paper talismans marked with various kanji. Hearing footsteps, Kazuya turned around to see Jun approaching the door of the main laboratory and walking next to him. She said nothing as she watched Kazuya complete his transformation and admire his new form.

Kazuya's torso was now adorned with dark gray armor with two large spiked shoulder pads of the same color attached to it. Embedded in the body armor was a single black cherry-colored jewel that shone as he took deep, concentrated breaths. His gloves were dark red with his trademark silver beaded embedded into the back of his hands. The rest of the body was covered with a dark purple body suit. Around the waist was a black belt, bound together with a gray buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." Two arm guards of the same color were wrapped around his wrists, and his boots shared the same pigment as the armguards, while his kneepads had the design of a demonic diamond skull. Kazuya's face, as well as his entire head, was masked with a purple helmet save for a dark red visor that was placed where his eyes would be so that he would be allowed to see, and on each side of the helmet was a stylized golden "s." _  
_

Kazuya marveled at his armor, the armor of ShinkenSlayer, before turning to Jun. "I suggest you take a few steps back, my dear," he said before turning back around to face the operating table that was in front of him. "I don't know what kind of power output this will generate!"

As he said that, Kazuya's body became aflame with the same dark purple energy that engulfed him prior to completing henshin with the talisman glowed with a wicked light as if to challenge his malicious power with their own. After a couple of seconds, Jun felt a chill run down her spine. She instantly recognized the reaction for what it was: the gates of the underworld were opening up in this very room, and the spirits within were now guests in this lab.

"Spirits of the dead, listen to your host," Kazuya finally spoke and raised his burning hand. "Bring to me the most powerful and vengeful soul in your pack!" The Japanese man watched in astonishment as the talismans began to burn and let off white smoke that howled like a pack of ravenous wolves. Quickly regaining control of himself, Kazuya's fingers glowly like miniature stars as each finger fired off a beam of ki that carved itself into the operating table. Like a puppeteer moving his strings, Kazuya's fingers danced in the air as the beams carved a pentagram.

"And now I shall grant this spirit a body worthy of its wrath…ASTAROTH!" Kazuya called out to his golem, who came rushing into the room with loud thundering footsteps. Following Kazuya's example, Astaroth lifted his own hand, which began to spew blue fire. The two of them poured their ki into the pentagram, and the howling began to increase.

Kazuya gritted his teeth as he continued to give every ounce of his near-unfathomable power into the pentragram, watching as it bubbled and oozed to form a crimson liquid that smelled like, and could only have been, blood. Even with the power of ShinkenSlayer, a process such as this demanded every iota of ki in his body, and it was not, in any way shape or form, something to be taken lightly. _It's as if my soul is being drained, _he thought while he quickly shook off the dizziness that was beginning to take hold. _I had no idea it required THIS much power!_

Suddenly, Kazuya felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning to his left, he watched as Jun held his hand and then outstretched her own free hand to funnel her own ki into the mix: a firework-like combination of purple and yellow. Kazuya looked at her with astonishment, but she simply turned to him and responded with a simple nod before turning back to the bubbling blood, which was now beginning to take solid form. _So, she truly is sincere about this, _he thought as he regained control of himself and resumed bombarding the ooze with his power. _How very interesting…_

It wasn't until Jun silently put her hand down that Kazuya noticed that the ooze was now completely solid, and that any further ki would be unnecessary. Motioning Astaroth to stop bombarding the now-solid figure, Kazuya backed away to hear the summoned creature groan and look at its humanoid body.

The creature was definitely human, a man that was well over six feet in height with a build that was almost as impressive as Astaroth's, his skin being a sickly green color and his long stringy hair as chalky as a piece of paper: almost a very light blue. There was absolutely nothing clothing him save for a white towel that Kazuya had placed on the operating table earlier that he had used to clean it off. "Aw crap," the man said as he slowly sat up, making his oriental features more visible to the surprised trio that helped bring him into the world. "I was revived without clothes…that sucks."

The man slowly turned his head to Kazuya and Jun, the former with a shocked look on his face and the latter with a strange sense of calm. "Hey Jun, thanks for helping me back into the land of the living," he said while gripping the towel protecting his modesty and placing his feet on the ground. "You've done your old man proud…and this strapping young man must be Kazuya."

" 'Done your old man proud'?" Kazuya repeated with confusion as he took a step forward. "Just who are you, anyway?"

The man chuckled with a hint of sinister intent before answering Kazuya's question with a most startling answer, "My name is Ryoku Kazama…and I am Jun's father."

----------

_And at that moment, I thought to myself, "What sort of curve has fate thrown me this time?"_


	22. Episode 21: Tainted Soul

Well, another year, another semester of college. This is will easily be the busiest I've ever had, but at least Thursdays are light.

Just be warned everyone: from here on in I have no idea what's going to happen next!

-----

For as long as I have known of their existence, I have considered the Kazama clan to be the yang to my Mishima clan's yin. Just as there is a Mishima curse that has lingered in the family possibly even before my "other self" approached me, the Kazamas have a power flowing in their own veins that seems to counter the powers of the Devil entity. I have not yet discovered the full extent of their powers, but I never suspected that the Kazama family had their own demons within the clan.

_This Ryoku Kazama that I had summoned entirely by coincidence happened to have been the most powerful and vengeful spirit the afterlife had to offer, which still comes as a surprise to me even now. Perhaps even more peculiar was how Jun knew exactly when and where to come and find me. Was it possible that her father's spirit was so powerful that it could communicate with the living: with his daughter?_

_Even though I could not get her to enlighten me with the first question, she did tell me that not only was entirely possible, but it had happened in the past. It was actually Ryoku who informed Jun of my other self, setting off a chain of events that would later result in the birth of our children. Suddenly, the coincidence of Ryoku happening to be the resurrect-ee of my latest experiment didn't seem like such a coincidence anymore: it would seem that he had a hand in this well before I had acquired the power of ShinkenSlayer._

_What was also peculiar is that when Ryoku passed on, it was when Jun was at a very young age: it would seem unlikely that she would remember much of her father when she was adopted by relatives in Tokyo, unless her brother's memories fared better than her's. All she truly remembered was his voice, and how it had told her to act as she did during that fateful second King of Iron Fist Tournament. _

_Once I had found our mutual friend some clothes, I wondered what exactly would I do if this Kazama decided to betray me with his body radiating power beyond most people's imaginations…_

----

"Father…I must ask you something," Jun said quietly while she approached the couch that Ryoku just sat down at. The Japanese man was wearing a black t-shirt with the kanji "metsu" etched on its front in dark red, with black sports pants and red sandals. Ryoku turned his head to his daughter while he reached for the remote control to the TV that was sitting a couple of yards in front of him. Seeing that she had his attention, Jun continued, "Why is it that you asked me to help you?"

"…Because you're my daughter, that's why," he said with his deep, manly voice, sitting up straight so that he could show his daughter that she had his full attention. "Isn't that enough?"

"What I meant is, why did you want to return to the land of the living?" Jun's voice did not show a hint of frustration, remaining in that eerily gentle tone that people close to her had become accustomed to. "Life and death have been separated for countless eons: why do you wish to break that balance?"

"So in other words, you're wondering why I told you not to interfere with your boyfriend's 'hobby' and just go about your business with his brother in America," Ryoku concluded while he grabbed the remote control from a nearby table and held it in his hand. "It's really quite simple, kiddo: I just had something I needed taken care of in this world, and I couldn't do it if I was still dead."

"What sort of things?" Jun raised an eyebrow: the first sign of emotion she had made public since she had begun speaking to her formerly long-deceased father.

"Well for one, there is the matter of my sister," Ryoku looked up at the ceiling while he mentally looked back to a day and time that was long past. "Did I ever tell you about your aunt?"

"…" Jun's silence did nothing to hide her ignorance as to what her father was talking about. All she ever knew about her aunt was what her other relatives spoke about her. Most of the relatives she lived with came from her mother's side of the family so much of the Kazama heritage was learned from their point of view, and her brother's.

"She was so much like you, kid," Ryoku continued, taking Jun's silence as a no. "She loved life in all its forms, and she was also highly psychic. She could predict the future almost as accurate as you can, and possibly even more." However, as soon as he finished that sentence, his arrogant smile faded and became a grimace. "Unfortunately for her, she was killed far before her time: butchered like an animal by someone who was never identified."

"So the reason you wished to return to the living was simple revenge?" his daughter asked, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses while she put her hands in the pockets of her black trenchcoat. "Truly, father, I would have thought you beyond such impure thoughts."

"It's a lot more than just simple revenge, Jun," Ryoku continued to frown, and his eyebrows twitched ever so slightly to show a hint of rage. "There's an impurity in this world, and I feel the need to cleanse it. Inside every man, woman, and child on this planet Earth, you'll see a devil that is just as real and monstrous as the one that sits in your boy Kazuya's head."

"I disagree."

Ryoku's frown disappeared instantly upon hearing that comment and let out a deep, manly laugh. "I had a feeling you would say that. Sure, there ARE good people in this world: your aunt and your mother were two of them. What happened to them? They died an early and totally undeserved death." Suddenly, Ryoku stood up from his seat, tossing the remote control in his hand away from him and raising his voice. "That's why you have to fight fire with fire! Use whatever means necessary from stopping these demons to tearing you apart!"

"Violence only begets more violence, father," Jun replied calmly while she took a few steps backward. "We Kazamas are healers, not destroyers."

"Oh, that's just a bunch of rubbish," Ryoku looked at his daughter with slight confusion before regaining his composure to slowly advance upon her. "You and your aunt were healers, but I was always a warrior. I had to be: I only got a small portion of our holy power that you seem to wield as easily as…well…Hank Aaron would swing a bat!"

As Ryoku said that, however, he noticed that Jun had slowly begun to raise her arm, and they eventually formed the position that was her fighting stance. Ryoku laughed as he assumed his own stance, identical to Jun's safe for his considerable muscle advantage. "So you've had enough talking, huh? Alright…show me what you've learned while I was away!"

Rushing at his daughter with inhuman speed, Ryoku rammed his shoulder into Jun, and followed up with a monstrous punch to her stomach, concluding with an open-palmed blow that knocked her over. Continuing his opening assault, Ryoku grabbed the prone Jun and lifted her off the ground before throwing her back down onto the hard floor with a devastating body slam.

"You know what's funny about us fighting like this, kid?" Ryoku said out loud while he picked up his daughter once again and tossing her onto the floor, this time leaving a crack where she landed. "Even when you were a little squirt, you never picked a fight, but this time you were the first to get ready. Times have changed, wouldn't you say?"

Rolling away to avoid yet another throw, Jun regained her footing and hit her father in the neck with her left palm, following up with a right palm to the face. Using all of her might, Jun pushed her father's head with such force that he bent over backwards and lost his footing. Jun continued to push his head as she banged the back of Ryoku's skull off the ground. "I would not have attacked if I did not sense the malicious intent from you, father," she said quietly as she removed her hand and took a couple of steps back. "I would never fight unless I had to…"

Jun let her guard down for a mere instant, and paid for her mercy with a powerful kick to the jaw courtesy of her father's rising cartwheel kick: the Kazama-ryu's famed Moon Scent. The force of such an attack sent Jun rocketing upwards, giving Ryoku the time to get up and continue the assault with his daughter helpless in the air. Cracking his knuckles, Ryoku pummeled his daughter with a couple of uppercuts, followed by a swift vertical kick and kept her airborne. Concluding his assault with a powerful spinning kick that left a streak of dark green ki in its wake, Ryoku watched Jun crash into a wall and let out a sinister chuckle.

"You sadden me, Jun," Ryoku rolled his head around as his neck let out loud cracks. "Truly you didn't think I was going to let this end just because you got two lucky blows in. What have your aunts and uncles been teaching you, anyway? If you have an opening, don't give the opponent the chance to breathe!"

"You are not my opponent," Jun replied, standing back up while dusting herself off with the same eerie calm that she had maintained throughout her time in Kazuya's lab, "you are my father. Even though we have differences, we are still family, and should treat each other as such." Resuming her fighting stance, the Japanese woman looked up at her father. "I wish to make this as painless as possible."

"Then it looks we aren't going to get anywhere soon," Ryoku shrugged before slowly walking towards Jun. "I hope you're ready to start fighting serious, because this is where I stop holding back!" The slow walk soon advanced to a brisk one, and an instant later it had evolved into a full run. However, a very unpleasant surprise awaited him as he prepared to strike.

"YOWCH!!"

Ryoku yelped as Jun's knee shot up and collided with his groin area. Ryoku gripped where he had been struck and cried out in pain as he cursed under his breath. "That was a low blow, Jun," he said with a forced whisper before being struck with a powerful thrusting elbow that sent him screeching across the floor. Ryoku righted himself with a flip and dusted himself off before continuing. "You make me proud: that's what I want to see."

Before her father could react, Jun continued her offensive with a low kick to his shin, followed by a backhanded punch to his jaw. With another blow to his face, Ryoku was sent sprawling backward with a high roundhouse kick to the neck. Chasing after her still-airborne parent, Jun grabbed onto Ryoku's legs and continued to run before jumping up into the air. The two of them fellow back onto the ground with a sickening thud as Jun drove her father into the ground with a running power bomb.

_What the hell was that, _Ryoku thought to himself with surprise as he rolled away. _I don't recall power bombs being intertwined with my marvelous art! _Ryoku threw a well-aimed punch at Jun that hit her in the chest and caused her to reel back in pain ever-so-slightly. When he tried for a foot sweep, however, Jun leaned down and grabbed his leg, and then used the momentum of the sweep to send him spinning uncontrollably behind her: the Kazama-ryu's trademark Vacuum Throw.

Ryoku landed on his hands and righted himself so that he could have proper footing, only to a jumping knee to the face that once again rendered him airborne. Jun juggled him around in the air with a duo of spinning Shaolin kicks, followed by a standing flip kick that propelled him even higher off the ground. Concluding the aerial assault with a powerful forward kick, Jun watched Ryoku land flat on his back while she resumed her fighting stance.

"What the hell was that," Ryoku hissed as he slowly stood back up. "What have you done to bastardize our glorious art? You've added moves from other styles!"

"This is one of the abilities I was given after I was brought back into the land of the living," Jun quietly explained. "All I need to do is watch another style, and with practice, it can become my own."

"Is the art I taught you and your brother not good enough?" Ryoku raised his voice in stark contrast to Jun's quiet tone, his body burning with dark green energy. "Is **that** how it is, kiddo!?"

"That is not my intention, father," Jun raised an eyebrow as she answered his question with the same aura of eerie calm, "I merely wish to end this as quickly as possible, and try to help you regain your senses."

Ryoku growled as he reared back his right hand. "Jun, for the first time since I married your mother, I'm thinking as clearly as ever. What I see is that you've disgraced our holy technique despite being the 'Chosen One' of our clan. Now I'm going to have to really **beat you down**!" Swinging his right arm in a wide arcing vertical motion, Ryoku fired off a blade of energy that shaved the ground as it made its way towards Jun. She narrowly avoided the blast and watched it connect with the wall to her back. The blast dissipated as it created a tall but narrowly cut on the plastic and steel wall.

"You speak of sullying our style, and yet you utilize such a lethal technique?" Jun pushed up her sunglasses as she finally took to the offensive. "Father, what has death done to your soul? You are not the same man who helped me over twenty years ago." Taking to the air, Jun leapt forward and shot out a clockwise right kick, but Ryoku caught her leg with ease. Helpless, she was unable to stop her father from tossing her behind him with a Vacuum Throw.

However, Ryoku didn't intend on letting her fall to the ground so soon. Quickly gathering ki into his left hand, Ryoku shot out a burst of green power that hit his daughter while she was still in the air. Jun was sent sprawling into the couch that Ryoku had been sitting at minutes earlier. "I'm not sullying anything, daughter dearest," the powerhouse finally said as he threw down his fist at Jun, who barely had time to move her head and get away from the couch to leave his fist to collide with the couch's cushion. "I was going to teach you these techniques before my untimely demise. Maybe if you apologize, I'll give you some lessons."

Jun answered not with words, but with a powerful elbow that rocked Ryoku like a hurricane, forcing him to topple over like a tree that had been cut down. Jun stomped on her father's chest with a cartwheel kick, but that did not have the element of surprise that caught Ryoku off-guard. The recently revived Ryoku snatched her foot while he was still lying down, and stood back up to tip her over.

"This brings back some memories," Ryoku used his free hand to rub his chin while Jun dangled helplessly upside-down. "I held both you and your brother like this when you were only a few minutes old. Your mother gave me grief about it, but the doctor said it was fine." Ryoku crouched down slightly while keeping his arm elevated to look into Jun's eyes, which had just been revealed thanks to her sunglasses being shattered by his previous attack.

Jun said nothing as she used the momentum of her dangling to swing her arm into her father's neck, but Ryoku merely grunted while he suddenly tossed her upwards into the sky. Taking a sharp breath, he slowly rotated his arms while his body crackled with dark green energy. Once his left arm was pointing directly upwards and his right downwards, Ryoku tucked his arms in while Jun plummeted back down to the ground. Just before she hit the floor, Ryoku shot out his hands and blasted her with all of his gathered might. She spiraled away and was about to crash into a door…

…until she was saved from such a fate by Kazuya, who had opened the door a split-second before impact and used his lightning-quick reflexes to catch her. "What sort of nonsense is this?" Kazuya growled while he looked at Jun's bruises. "Ryoku, have you betrayed me so soon?"

"Well, if it isn't my dear 'son-in-law,'" Ryoku smirked as he wiped the sweat off of his brow before crossing his arms. "Don't mind us; we were just having a sparring session. Sorry if it got a little too intense for ya, kid." The white-haired man uncrossed his arms and put his hands to his hips before bowing. "You did pretty good, all things considering."

Kazuya looked down to finally notice Jun had been resting her head on his chest ever since he caught her. Jun looked up at him with her light brown eyes for what seemed like forever but was in truth a four-second pause before turning around to her father and returning the bow. "…I must be leaving now. Father, the clothes you requested are in the brown suitcase next to the television."

"Leaving so soon, Jun?" Kazuya raised an eyebrow as Jun started to walk past him. "You have just been reunited with your father: I would have thought you would be far more willing to stay and talk with him."

"We have said everything that was necessary to be said," Jun replied coolly before turning around and leaning to Kazuya's ear. As she did so, she whispered in his ear quietly so that her father could not here. "Goodbye Kazuya…please be careful." Kazuya moved his head away and continued to give Jun a puzzled look, but she had already resumed going out the door, gently closing it behind her.

_That was no sparring session, _Kazuya thought, remembering the look in Jun's eyes. She was warning him that her father was a wild card, and he was not about to ignore such advice. _His Kazama power might not be as intense as Jun's, but he contains both Astaroth's energies and my own. I cannot be surrounded by such powerful and malicious allies and not expect them_ _to turn on me someday._

"So tell me, Kaz," Ryoku cracked his neck and he righted the tipped-over couch that he had tossed Jun into and sat down on it. "When are you going to introduce me to my grandchildren? I'm anxious to see what kind of kids you and Jun manufactured."

Kazuya turned to Ryoku with a slight expression of surprise on his face. "How would you know about them?"

"I'm a Kazama," Ryoku answered with sarcastic wit. "I know everything. It's my job."

Kazuya did not find such humor amusing, but made sure he didn't let Ryoku know that he was getting on his nerves. "You shall be seeing them soon, I can promise you that. Astaroth, get in here!"

In mere seconds, thunderous footsteps could be heard as the black-clad golem entered the room. "What do you want this time?" the Astaroth asked with his voice full of boredom. "I am sick and tired of playing cat and mouse with the Shinkenger: if you're going to send me out, at least let me break at least one of their limbs!"

"That is exactly what I was going to command you to do," Kazuya said with a smirk as he crossed his arms. "The Shinkenger are no doubt using this pause to figure out the connection between all of our missions, and thus discover the location of our lair. The time has come to finish them once and for all." Kazuya's left eye glowed in two colors: the iris bright red, and the pupil neon blue. Raising his hand as if to give himself a dramatic flair, Kazuya continued, "Astaroth, I want you to slay the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger, and bring ShinkenRed and ShinkenWhite to me, alive but helpless."

"What's so special about red and white?" Ryoku butted into the conversation unexpectedly. "Are those my grandchildren?" The Japanese man turned his head to face Kazuya. "Kaz, my boy, do we get satellite link so we can watch our man do his thing?"

"As a matter of fact, we do," Kazuya nodded his head. "I did not know you were a fan of watching such sport."

"In that case," Ryoku stood up and looked to Astaroth before giving his own decree. "Astaroth, you can forget about bringing those two alive. I want to see what they can **really** do when you turn up the heat!"

"So does that mean…all of them are fair game?" Astaroth's eyes widened and Kazuya could swear that he saw a tear of joy drip from one of them. Ryoku looked to Kazuya, who remained quiet for some time, visibly surprised to hear such a remark from a Kazama, a clan that was supposedly devoted to the side of good. However, he nodded his head in approval, and Astaroth responded accordingly. "YES! I promise you, boss, that I will bring you their heads!"

After Astaroth took his gargantuan battle axe Kutules that was leaning next to the door frame, he ran out the door roaring a battle cry. Once Kazuya was certain that Astaroth was out of earshot, he turned to Ryoku and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "You are certainly not what I expect from a Kazama, 'father-in-law.'"

"Death can really piss off a guy," Ryoku shrugged as he sat back down on the couch and turned on the television. "I'm sure you can understand that…"


	23. Episode 22: Unrelenting

The Chargers screwed up AGAIN! Poor San Diego: it's crazy how the Patriots seem to always win these close games...makes you wonder if the game is scripted like professional wrestling...hmmm...

Enjoy the next chapter everyone. Here's hoping for a Pats vs Saints Super Bowl!

-----

There are over fifty known nuclear power plants in Japan, with five of them being located in Tokyo. Although it was certainly ironic that the country which was the first to feel the wrath of the atomic bomb back in 1945 would have more nuclear plants than any other country in the world, the country's dependence on nuclear power stems not from a need for weapons, but to meet its energy needs as its natural resources are relatively lacking compared to other countries.

Turn what was used to destroy them into something that could be of benefit: truly, the resilience and resourceful of the Japanese people was something to be noted.

The two most recent power plants, however, were created by the Mishima Zaibatsu. After Heihachi regained control of the Mishima Zaibatsu by emerging victorious in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, he did many things to regain the trust of leaders around the world. One of the many things he did was spend time helping his own country by providing it with more usable power thanks to the Zaibatsu's wealth.

However, the reasons for building these power plants were not entirely devoted to charity: it would also give power to the factories of the Mishima Heavy Industries, the birthplace of the robotic warrior Prototype Jack. It was also the place where the Russian military robot Jack-2 had its programming created, which would later come back to haunt Heihachi when Jack-4's attacked him at Honmaru. After Heihachi once again took back the Zaibatsu in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, he had that particular factory that created Jack-2 and Prototype Jack shut down.

_I can see why that geezer pulled the plug on this place, _Hwoarang thought as he navigated through the abandoned factory. _It's just like him: old and busted._

Hwoarang and his comrades had entered this factory following the clues they had obtained about Astaroth's attacks so that they may discover the golem's lair. There were not many places he could have gone unnoticed with the evidence they had gathered, but the places that were possibilities included the factory that the Korean martial artist was venturing into.

Before they entered the building, the septet agreed to split up so as to search the building faster. Each of them had been equipped with a small headset so that they could call each other for help should they run into any trouble. As Hwoarang finally found the power box, he discovered the panel that controlled the lighting of the factory. _Now all I have to do is switch it on and hope it doesn't blow._

Flipping the handle that controlled the power, the panel shot out sparks for a couple of seconds before a loud hum could be heard. The overhead lighting in the room that Hwoarang was in crackled to life as he turned on his headset radio. "Hey Kazama, did that do the trick?"

_Good work, Hwoarang, _Jin's voice praised Hwoarang through the radio before continuing._ Please check on the others to see if they have lights in their area, as well._

_-----_

_Third Floor_

"Everything looks good over here, chap. We'll keep on looking, though."

Steve put his finger off his headset radio and walked over to Feng, who was quietly observing his surroundings whilst standing in place. With the exception of Hwoarang, who had asked to search by himself, all of the other Shinkengers had decided to split up into groups. Considering that Steve seemed to work best with the relatively new Feng, Jin decided to pair them up.

"I don't see anything around here, Feng," Steve said as Feng turned his head. "Should we try moving to another part of the factory?"

"Not yet," Feng put up his hand as his gaze suddenly shifted to a nearby window. "I feel something: a malevolent aura coming at us…"

"Well, that certainly didn't take long," Steve said out loud as he followed Feng's gaze. "So how far would you say he-"

CRASH!!

Feng and Steve jumped back in surprise as the window and the wall it was mounted on exploded in front of them. As the dust settled, their eyes widened as they got a good view of what it was that burst through so much glass and brick: Astaroth, the golem that they had been hunting.

"ShinkenBlue and ShinkenBronze," Astaroth cracked his neck in anticipation and readied his battle axe for combat. "I challenge you to a duel to the bitter end!"

"How in the world did you get up without the others noticing?" Steve asked with sarcastic innocence in stark contrast to Astaroth's lethal challenge. "We're currently on the third floor!"

"I had a very lengthy running start," the golem answered with equal wit. "Now how about you morph so I can actually break a sweat?"

However, Steve reached not for his morpher, but for his headset. Pressing the transmit button located near his ear, Steve issued a call for help. "We have found Astaroth: he's on the third floor on the eastern side." The English boxer waited for a response, but received none. Undeterred, Steve pressed the transmit button once again. "Jin, Hwoarang, come in!"

"Don't bother trying to call for your friends," Astaroth laughed an awful laugh as Steve realized that his distress call would not be heard. "Before I got here, my boss gave me a scrambler so that I wouldn't have any unwanted company." The golem turned his head and pointed to a small black device lodged in his ear. "I'll start with you two and work my way to the others!"

"I still have not forgotten what you did to Dragoon, you fiend," Feng pointed an accusing finger at the golem before getting into a fighting stance. "He was your comrade, and yet you struck him down without remorse. Have you no shame?"

"The Jeet Kune Do incubus was obviously considering defection," Astaroth explained himself. "I did what needed to done with traitors!"

"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I did what needed to be done with a monster like you!" Feng spat back as his ki crackled across his body, flowing into his morpher which reacted by utterly in a deep robotic voice, "Standing by…" Once his morpher was fully charged, Feng turned to Steve just as the blonde martial artist had finally given up on his radio. "Steven Fox, it is obvious that we are isolated. We will have to hold him off until the others realize we are in danger."

"I hear that, ol' chum," Steve nodded his head and charged his ki, and continued to do so until his morpher began to crackle with power. The boxer took a deep breath while as body was engulfed in a blue light. Following Steve's lead, Feng yelled that fateful word as Astaroth prepared to strike.

"HENSHIN!"

In the next instant, Feng and Steve were gone from view. In their place stood ShinkenBronze and ShinkenBlue, fully prepared to battle their long-time foe Astaroth. "Let's get this over with, you big lummox!" Steve motioned Astaroth towards him with his hand as he and Feng assumed a fighting stance while the golem let loose a battle cry.

Swinging his axe with a mighty motion, Astaroth barely missed the two Shinkenger with a devastating horizontal swipe that ended with the blade of the axe becoming stuck in the wall. The golem struggled to get the blade free, and left himself open to a pair of glowing fists courtesy of his two foes, causing him to let go of the axe's hilt and reel back in pain.

"You let go of your weapon that has taken so many lives," Feng observed while he raised his iron claws. "That is a fatal mistake that shall be your downfall!" Bringing his hand down, the Kempo master swiped Astaroth across his chest, scratching his exposed pink heart and bringing forth a roar of agony. When Feng attempted a stab, however, Astaroth caught his hand and pulled it towards him.

"Do not think of me so helpless that I am inexperienced in bare-fisted combat," the monster bellowed as he wrapped his arms around Feng and got him into a crushing embrace. "If you think that for an instant, it will be _your _downfall!" The golem increased the pressure of his embrace, eliciting a sickening cracking sound from the martial artist unfortunately enough to be in his grasp. Feng's arms suddenly shot and whacked Astaroth in the head, and the golem responded accordingly by altering his hold on Feng, turning it into a double leg hold.

Using the massive Chinese man as a bludgeon, Astaroth swung Feng into the oncoming Steve, letting the former go so that the two of them could crash into the ground. Quickly pushing his comrade off of him, Steve flipped back onto his feet and resumed his fighting stance while Astaroth removed his axe from the wall. "It's my turn, mate! Get ready!" Swaying the left to avoid the golem's punch, Steve countered with one of his own: a powerful uppercut that left blue sparks in its wake.

An attack of such magnitude would normally send a man flying. However, Astaroth was not a man: he was so much more. The uppercut merely caused him to take a few steps back and counter by bashing Steve's hip with the back of his axe. The Englishman roared in pain as he was sent flying into the wall. The golem prepared to deliver a finishing blow when he was sent careening backwards himself by Feng's glowing palm.

"Are you all right?" Feng ran over to Steve's side and helped him onto his feet. "He seems more determined this time: usually he's a distraction for a bigger plot."

"I know what you mean, Feng," Steve nodded his head in agreement while he gripped where he had been struck earlier. "He certainly has that look in his eye…although it's really not any different from the look in his eye on normal days."

"How can you make jokes at a time like this?" Beneath his helmet, Feng rolled his eyes and turned to Astaroth. "At any rate, we musn't slay him too quickly. He might be able to tell us who he's been working for all this time!"

"You should stop talking about my well-being and start worrying about yourself," Astaroth eavesdropped on Feng and Steve's conversation before firing off a blue beam of power at them. The beam hit its mark, and both his opponents suddenly found themselves wrapped in flame. However, the flame did not burn them, at least not immediately.

Rather, it wrapped around them like a snake coiling around its prey. The fire contined to dance around them until it suddenly dived down into the ground, forming a puddle that suddenly spread across the boots of Feng and Steve, rendering them immobile. "What in the world is this stuff?" Steve shouted out loud as the puddle took form, finally settling into the design of an elaborate pentagram. "First it's fire, then it's liquid, and then it's just a stain!"

"It's a little technique I've been practicing for a while now," Astaroth explained while his fist continued to burn with a sapphire inferno. "It'll completely negate the armor in your suit and strike you from within like what you humans do with microwaves!" Lifting up his burning hand, Astaroth shouted forth an incantation while the pentagram responded accordingly: "IZU AA ZAZARE!"

Mighty bolts of electricity danced inside the pentagram as Feng and Steve were bombarded with unholy lightning. In mere seconds, their Shinkenger suits dissipated and they were given the full wrath of the lightning, eliciting screams of unbearable pain. After what seemed like an eternity in their eyes but in truth only a little under a minute, Astaroth snapped his fingers and the pentagram stopped glowing, allowing Feng and Steve to drop to the ground unconscious.

"I won't kill you immediately," Astaroth said to them, knowing full well that they could not hear him. "I have something even more exciting planned."

"Well, it's a pity that you won't be able to carry out this plan!"

The golem turned around in surprise and received two kicks to his face that sent him flying backwards, soaring over Feng and Steve and landing flat on his back with a thud. Quickly regaining his footing, Astaroth identified his attackers as ShinkenSilver and ShinkenWhite. _How did they know I was here? _Astaroth mumbled as he resumed a fighting stance. _I guess I made a little too much noise. _

"What did you do to our friends, freak show?" Asuka pointed an accusing finger at the monster while Kenichi drew his katana. "You better not have hurt them!"

"And what if I did hurt them, you bosomy runt?" Astaroth taunted while he charged towards the couple, making sure that he stepped on the fallen Feng and Steve while doing so. "What are you going to do about it?" So surprising and intense was Astaroth's speed that neither Asuka nor Kenichi could predict his movement, paying for their failure of doing so by being sent sprawling backwards from the golem's mighty shoulder ramming.

The two young warriors landed on their feet and countered with an assault of their own. Asuka leapt off of Kenichi's shoulders and hit the golem in the face with an aerial palm, while Kenichi followed suit with a wing-propelled diving kick. The second blow caused Astaroth to take a few steps back, but a second palm thrust from Asuka caused him to teeter dangerously like a tower of blocks which just had its foundation significantly altered.

Taking advantage of the opening given to them, Kenichi and Asuka shot out their fists and simultaneous punched the golem in his exposed heart, forcing him to topple over. However, the success of such an attack was short-lived, as Astaroth used his axe to disrupt Kenichi and Asuka's footing and fall down themselves while he stood back up with minimal signs of damage.

"I don't have time to play with you so soon," Astaroth shouted out loud as he stomped on Asuka's throat while Kenichi rolled away to regain his footing. "So I'm going to make this quick and painful." Astaroth turned his head to Kenichi who had just realized the predicament Asuka was in. "Tell me, something, pretty boy: where should I cut first?"

"Asuka-chan!"

Kenichi's wings glowed fiercely while he dashed towards Astaroth at blinding speed with his sword raised. Using all of his mighty strength, Kenichi rammed his head into Astaroth stomached and forced his off of Asuka, having him roll backwards uncontrollably. Asuka moaned in Kenichi's arms as she tried to regain her footing. "What is with him today?" Asuka muttered as she groggily resumed her fighting stance. "He seems a lot tougher to beat then normal."

"That's because I'm through playing around with you idiots!" Astaroth butted into the conversation and snapped his fingers. An instant later, two grey-skinned Lizard-men with unusually spiked tails jumped through the hole in the wall Astaroth created and landed gracefully on the floor. "Today, you will perish in most foul manner! Lizard-men, attack them!"

"Do you honestly think just because their skin color is different and they have more spikes that they'll fair any better than the red ones?" Asuka scoffed while she and Kenichi prepared to combat the newcomers. "That's bordering on discrimination, Asty, and I thought you were better than that!"

"They have a little surprise in their fangs, runt," Astaroth chuckled while he watched his Lizard-man attempt to take a chunk of flesh out of Kenichi and Asuka with their claws. "Just hold still and you will discover that surprise will be!"

Kenichi sent the first Lizard-man's sprawling backwards with a standing punch, pursuing the creature as if rolled onto its feet only to send it right back down with a shoulder tackle. The Lizard-man, with its primal instincts and reflexs, quickly got on all fours and crawled towards Kenichi before rising up and sending the boy careening with a head-butt.

Asuka didn't have much better luck against her sparring partner, either. Although she sent the creature into the air with a powerful vertical elbow, the Lizard-man had both the skill and ingenuity to right itself in mid-air and come down on Asuka with a tackle. The reptilian monster slashed as Asuka's suit with its claws, drawing forth sparks with every swipe and a cry of pain to go along with it. When she finally kicked the creature off, she scrambled onto her feet to run to Kenichi, who had just sent his own foe spiraling to the ground with a standing roundhouse kick.

However, the two Lizard-men suddenly lashed out at the two Shinkengers, latching onto their necks with their fangs. Kenichi and Asuka screamed in agony as they desperately struggled to keep their heads from becoming bitten off as easily as someone would bite off the tip of a carrot. With their hands glowing in unison, Kenichi and Asuka fired off a blast of ki directly into the creatures' temples, killing them instantly by blowing a hole in their skulls.

However, even though the death-grip of their jaws was no longer affecting them, the pain was as strong as ever, as if it was coursing through their very souls. "Are you feeling a little woozy, kids?" Astaroth taunted as he sprung into action by grabbing the two stunned teenagers. "Those Lizard-men you've killed injected you with powerful but short-lived venom that'll leave you completely paralyzed for the next fifteen minutes!"

"More poison," Asuka whispered to Kenichi before they were flung into a wall. "First it was the Sorel creep, and now it's this guy…"

-------

_First floor_

"Hwoarang!"

The Korean martial artist turned around to see Jin and Xiaoyu run towards him. For the past ten minutes, that hadn't heard anything from Feng and Steve on the third floor. When Jin radioed Asuka and Kenichi to investigate, they couldn't hear anything from them after arriving on that particular. Hoping that it was merely a communications problem, Jin asked a desparate question. "Have you heard anything from Steve and the others?"

"Nothing but static, Kazama," Hwoarang answered with disappointment as he looked to a nearby stairwell. "I don't know about you guys, but I think we should go up there, too."

"That's exactly why we came down here," Xiaoyu nodded her head in agreement before readying her morpher. "Whatever the problem is, it'll be a lot safer if we're all together to solve it!"

Before she and her comrades could head for the stairwell, however, a loud banging sound was heard in the large room. The trio looked around in confusion to see where the sound had come from, but the second bang allowed them to pinpoint the location: it was coming from the upper part of the wall. Before they could say anything, the upper part of the wall exploded in a blast of bricks.

An instant later, the trio saw a pair of bodies being tossed out of the newly created hole in the wall. Jin and Hwoarang sprung into action and caught the falling figures and instantly identified them to be their fellow Shinkengers Asuka and Kenichi, their suits full of cracks and blemishes. Waking up in Hwoarang's arms, Asuka's eyes widened as she took a deep breath. "Hwoarang, Feng and Steve are up there! You have to help them!"

As if to emphasize her concern, two more bodies fell from the hole, causing Jin and Hwoarang to quickly put down Kenichi and run towards where they would land. The two martial artists caught their other comrades and quickly inspected their bodies for any permanent damage. _They're still breathing, _Hwoarang thought to himself while he looked to Kenichi and Asuka, who were lying helplessly on the ground while Xiaoyu tended to them as their suits dissipated in a flash of light. _But there's only one guy I can think of who could take them out so easily…and here he comes!  
_

"That's four down, and three to go," a familiar voice bellowed as yet another figure came from the hole in the wall and landed on the floor with a powerful thud. Astaroth cracked his neck and raised his axe in a fighting position while he looked at his next three victims. "ShinkenRed, ShinkenYellow, and ShinkenBlack, I have come for your heads," the golem used his axe to point at the Shinkengers already lying on the floor. "Silver and White have been rendered paralyzed for the time being, while Blue and Bronze are currently sleeping off the effects of the pain and suffering I have given them!"

"Their pain and suffering won't begin to compare to yours once we're through with you," Jin threatened while he and his brethren readied their morphers. In an instant, their Shinkenger suits fully materialized across their bodies while they assumed their respective fighting stance. "Let's finish him off, guys! Xiaoyu, start us off!"

At Jin's command, the lithe Chinese woman jumped up behind Jin and Hwoarang and propelled herself off of their shoulders, flying towards Astaroth feet-first. Hitting the behemoth in the face, Xiaoyu pressed onward with a blinding flurry of aerial kicks. Bouncing off of the monster's skull, Xiaoyu back flipped away and allowed Jin and Hwoarang to send the monster sprawling backwards with a pair of standing kicks that left sparks of ki in their wake.

Astaroth quickly landed on his feet and sent the approaching Hwoarang screeching across the floor with a jumping knee to his chest. With a mighty swing of his axe, the golem slashed Xiaoyu and Jin across their abdomen, drawing forth sparks from their suits and a cry of pain to create a symphony of battle sounds. Astaroth ran over to Xiaoyu and began to stomp on her neck as if he were trying to put out a fire. Xiaoyu's screamed in agony as her throat became subject to the golem's considerable weight.

This did not escape the attention of Jin, who sprung back into action and sent the golem spiraling away with a powerful Wind Hook Fist. With his opponent temporarily stunned, Jin leaned down to Xiaoyu, who was struggling to breathe thanks to the pressure her throat had just endured. Before Jin could say anything encouraging, however, he was sent screeching across the ground with a whack of the hilt of Astaroth's weapon.

Stepping in to back up his rival, Hwoarang took to the air and hit the golem with a jumping kick, following up with an aerial roundhouse kick that knocked Astaroth off of his feet, and concluded the combo with an axe kick that sent the creature crashing to the ground and landing flat on his back while Hwoarang landed gracefully on his feet. The Korean continued the assault with a powerful stomp to the monster's exposed heart. Even though Astaroth roared in agony, he quickly regained his composure and rolled to the side to avoid a second stomp.

Astaroth scrambled to his feet and picked up his axe just in time to parry Hwoarang's standing roundhouse kick and swat him away to send him flying into a bunch of empty oil drums that were lying nearby. With the Tae Kwan Do ace struggling to get up but comically falling down repetitively thanks to the barrels, Astaroth turned his attention to the oncoming Jin and Xiaoyu.

With their hands bursting with energy most pure, the two young martial artists locked their wrists together and reared back. As they did so, the energy in their hands began to stabilize and swirl around their palms. "This is for everyone you've killed and maimed, you freak," Jin shouted before turned to Xiaoyu, who nodded her head in acknowledgement before turning back to Astaroth. Once their power had reached its zeniths, they fired off their collected power in the form of massive spheres of energy.

"SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: **TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!**"

"This stupid technique again?" Astaroth taunted as he put his axe over his shoulder as a baseball player would hold his bat over the mound. "Your orange-haired buffoon tried this trick on me already…I'll show you what happened!" As the two metaphorical pitches raced towards him, Astaroth's axe burned with dark red fire as he swung his weapon to swat the two orbs of power right back at their origins. Massive showers of sparks spewed from the suits of Jin and Xiaoyu as they were sent careening backwards and landing flat on their backs with sickening thuds.

The two martial artists writhed for a couple of moments, but soon passed out as their Shinkenger suits faded along with their consciousness.

"Damn it," Hwoarang cursed as he finally regained his footing and looked at the scene before him. All of his allies were now completely helpless to stop Astaroth from having his way with them. "Looks like I'm on my own…"

"Come forth, ShinkenBlack," Astaroth turned to Hwoarang just in time to sidestep a quick punch. "I have decided to spare your friends for the time being. Do you know why?"

"Because you're a sick freak, and that you want to watch them squirm before you delivering the coup de grace?"

"You bring up valid points to be sure," the behemoth stroked his chin as he pondered Hwoarang's words. "However, that's not the main reason I'm letting them slide. I'm saving them for later because of you. Weeks ago I told you that the next time we met, it would be a fight to the finish." Hoisting his axe over his shoulder, Astaroth cracked his neck yet again as his body started to burn with blue fire. "Now I will show you my true power!"


	24. Episode 23: Astaroth's Last Stand

And so, Super Bowl XLI will be the Indianapolis Colts vs the Chicago Bears. Go Rex Grossman, and go Peyton Manning. Prove all your nay-sayers wrong and put up a good game.

And after 23 episodes, Astaroth is finally taken down...

-------

Three weeks ago, Hwoarang came to Japan to finally combat his rival Jin Kazama in a decisive fight to see who the greater fighter truly. Accompanying him on his journey were the last two members of his gang from his homeland Korea, Jae and Choi. Unfortunately, Jin and Hwoarang would never have that battle: instead they would work together to combat the golem Astaroth, who had begun to attack Tokyo.

During the confrontation, Jae and Choi were slain by the axe-wielding behemoth. Hwoarang swore vengeance and agreed to side with his long-time rival to bring the monster to justice. Now, after numerous skirmishes with Astaroth, his Lizard-men, and whatever bizarre lieutenant that would occasionally be at his side, Hwoarang would face the golem alone.

_The only problem with that is this guy manhandled the others without breaking a sweat, _the Tae Kwan Do ace thought worriedly while he watched Astaroth roar while burning in a blue inferno. _What the hell am I supposed to do to make sure that I don't wind up like them?_

Minutes prior to the situation he was in now, he and the rest of the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger were investigating an abandoned factory in hopes of discovering clues to Astaroth's lair, and possibly information regarding the identity of the behemoth's benefactor. Even though the factory was relatively desolate, they did indeed find the golem, or rather he found them. Like a living tornado, Astaroth ripped through their ranks one by one until only Hwoarang was left conscious. This was not because Hwoarang was any more or less resilient than his fellow Shinkengers, but because the golem knew of the youth's vendetta against him and wished to show him his true strength.

Astaroth raised his axe high in the air while his body continued to blaze in a great sapphire glory. The pigment of the fire seemed to mix with the pigment of his beige skin, giving it a purple hue. At first, Hwoarang thought it was solely from the flame's color, but he quickly dismissed this conclusion when Astaroth's eye color changed from white to a dull yellow. A loud creaking was heard as two bony appendages emerged from his back, each one about as big and thick as his massive arms. His exposed heart shrunk back into his chest and the hole that revealed it closed up, thus removing the only flaw in his intimidating figure.

"What do you think, ShinkenBlack?" Astaroth said as the blue flames finally died down to reveal his transformed state. "Can you feel your bones crushing underneath the weight of your fear, as you finally comprehend who you are dealing with?"

"Yeah," Hwoarang answered while he ran towards the golem with violent intent. "I understand that I'm now dealing with a golem who made himself twice as ugly as he was when he started out!" Lashing out at the monster, Hwoarang spun around and attempted a tornado kick to Astaroth's head. However, even though he hit his mark, Astaroth didn't flinch. He merely looked to his side to see the foot resting on his shoulder and grabbed Hwoarang's ankle.

Giving the foot a twist and eliciting a cry of agony from his foe, Astaroth lifted Hwoarang off the ground and over his head, spinning him around like a lasso before throwing him into the ground as easily as he would do so with a rag doll that he deemed unworthy of his time. Before Hwoarang could roll away, Astaroth stomped on Hwoarang's neck.

"You call that a kick?" Astaroth taunted, referring to the Korean's initial attack while he grinded his heel into the youth's neck. "My boss told me your kicks were world-renowned: what a disappointment!"

Desperate to save his life, Hwoarang's hands glowed as he shot off a quick blast of ki at the golem that had planted his foot on his Adam's apple. The blast hit Astaroth in the face, temporarily blinding him and allowing his foe to roll away and scramble onto his feet. Not willing to give the dazed monster a chance to breathe, Hwoarang shot out his left foot forward and thrust his leg into his foe's midsection.

The force of such a kick would send a normal man toppling, but Astaroth was far above an ordinary man. The attack only caused him to take a few steps back, and he regained his composure quick enough to avoid a jumping roundhouse kick. Crouching down to avoid a right hook punch, Astaroth raised back up to ram his head into Hwoarang's chest. As he reached full standing position once again, Astaroth added an exclamation point to his headbutt by using it to toss Hwoarang behind him. The brash martial artist landed on his back with a sickening thud.

Hwoarang groaned in pain as he gripped his back while he stood back up. Clearly he was at a severe disadvantage without his team. _Well, there's no use bitching about it now that the others are off in Knockout Kingdom, _he muttered while he resumed his fighting stance. _He may be stronger, but I'm pretty sure I'm faster!_

Narrowly ducking under a horizontal slash of Astaroth's axe, the Tae Kwan Do ace displayed the power of his martial art with a high vertical spinning kick to the golem's chest. The force of such an impressive blow sent the monster rocketing into the air: a result appropriate of the name Hwoarang had given the technique, the Skyrocket. After some hang time, Astaroth began to plummet back down to the ground. Hwoarang pursued him in the air with a jumping kick. Once that kick hit his mark, he began a series of rapid spinning kicks that made his legs seem more like the propellers of a helicopter. However, when he tried to conclude with an aerial axe kick, Astaroth sprung into action and righted himself in mid-air, grabbing the Korean by the neck and driving his head into the ground as they finally touched down.

"Nice try, worm," Astaroth bellowed while he lifted Hwoarang by the neck as he smashed his face into the back of his axe's blade. "You deserve a consellation prize for that." The golem continued to bang Hwoarang into the blade, again and again, with the clanging of metal ringing throughout the factory. "Here, have some steel to go with the concrete that you'll be eating in a moment!"

Finally regaining his composure, Hwoarang put his hands in front of him and pushed against the blade in an attempt to keep his head from getting smashed into it again. Using all of his strength, Hwoarang pushed backward against Astaroth's hand on his head until he finally broke free and rolled away.

However, before he could get onto his feet, Astaroth's axe came down on Hwoarang's chest. The blade scraped across his chest like nails on a chalkboard, drawing forth sparks and screams of unbearable pain. Suddenly, the blade began to shine brighter than the sun, and Astaroth lifted his axe and Hwoarang along with it like a magnet attracting an iron doll. _Oh shit, _he cursed to himself as he realized what was going on. _I have to break free now, or I'm going to be cleaved in two like an orange!_

Mustering all of the power he could muster, Hwoarang put his ki-filled hands onto the blade, hoping that was he learned about magnetism held true. To his good fortune, the charge of his ki was the same as Astaroth's, and thus allowed him to repel off of the blade and falling to the ground to avoid certain death. Rolling away as Astaroth's blade came down after him, Hwoarang resumed a fighting stance.

"I didn't even know that was possible," Astaroth scratched his head in confusion as he casually ducked under a high kick and sent Hwoarang screeching across the ground with a sudden bump of his muscular chest. "You continue to surprise me, ShinkenBlack, but this isn't a talent show: this is a fight!"

Hwoarang jumped back onto his feet and narrowly backflipped away from a vertical slash that left Astaroth's blade stuck in the floor. Not willing to take any chances, Hwoarang ran towards Astaroth and up the hilt of his weapon like a child would try and run up a slide. Once he was in distance, Hwoarang jumped up into the air and bashed Astaroth in the head with an axe kick before landing on the hilt and jumping off.

However, Astaroth recovered instantaneously to snatch Hwoarang out of the air and then toss him high enough for him to crash against the ceiling that almost ten meters in the air. As the Korean plummeted downwards, he was sent soaring as Astaroth whacked him away with his weapon like a baseball slugger would power away a ball.

He was swatted so far away, that Astaroth couldn't even see where he landed. All he had to go by was the loud crash he heard following what he assumed to be Hwoarang's return to the ground. "So it looks our new game will be Hide and Go Seek," the behemoth let out an awful laugh while he dusted off his axe and waded into the field of large generators. "Catch your breath ShinkenBlack, because I promise you it'll be the last breath you'll ever take!"

----

Hwoarang moaned quietly as he rose up from the nest of debris and garbage that he landed in which cushioned his otherwise lethal fall. The Korean youth had seen better days to be sure: even though he was relatively young at age twenty-two, he had seen his fair share of heated battles, from tournament matches to even gang wars. There had been many a time when the odds were stacked against him: where there were times when he was alone and the enemy was numerous and bigger and armed. On paper, Hwoarang was no stranger to the kind of battle he was currently engaged in with the murderer of his two best friends.

_So why do I have this feeling of dread in my stomach, _Hwoarang thought to himself as he listened to Astaroth rant while he hid in the shadows of the numerous active generators so that he could take a much-needed breather. _Why do all of my senses tell me to run away, rather than avenge my friends?_

Upon repeating that question in his mind, the truth had dawned upon him: he was afraid of dying at the hands of this creature.

Being an orphan, Hwoarang was raised in the ways of Tae Kwan Do by his sensei and father figure, Baek Do San. However, even the disciplined Baek could not tame Hwoarang's wild spirit, and he became so sure of his abilities that he fell into gang activity. During his tenure as the leader of the gang he created himself, he proved himself to be a fearless leader in the face of danger.

When he was with the military, Hwoarang further proved his fearlessness when he rocketed to the rank of Sergeant despite his utter disregard for authority and remarkably young age. Sometimes he was even put in charge of his group. However, here he was forced to take cover and catch his breath while his opponent slowly hunted him down like wolf hunting sheep. _Well, at least now I can relate to Jin when he got his butt kicked at the garbage dump, _Hwoarang smiled bleakly to himself, _and he says that I have no idea what he went through…_

Hwoarang slowly turned around and took a small peek from the generator he was hiding behind and looked to where his comrades lay. _Damn it, what the hell am I being so negative about? _The Korean strengthened his resolve as he saw them move slightly, realizing that they were finally awake. _I'm not just fighting for dead friends anymore…I'm fighting for the gang I have now: the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger. And as a member of the gang, it's time for me to prove my mettle…now how am I going to take him out long enough for the others to get back on their feet?_

Scanning the small area in front of him, he found a quartet of steel drums with a bio-hazard sticker splashed across it. Hwoarang rubbed the bottom of his helmet in deep thought while he considered the possibilities. Radioactive waste would probably be an effective weapon against the golem, but he might accidentally get it on his comrades and that was not a desirable result.

And then he looked at the lids of the drums and discovered a better idea. Two weeks ago, when Kenichi joined their ranks, they combated a ninja who had a shuriken which, when filled with the user's ki, could be thrown to devastating effect. Jin managed to turn the tide of battle when he caught the shuriken and threw it back at the ninja with the same tactic. Even though he couldn't be certain that a lid would hold up as well as an oversized shuriken, Hwoarang was running out of ideas.

"I guess it's worth a shot," he mumbled while he used all of his power to peel the lid off of the steel drum. The drum made a loud creaking sound, and that almost certainly gave away his location to Astaroth, who had been slowly searching the generators for him. "It's time to put it to the test."

"I've finally found you," Astaroth roared as he stopped searching and turned to Hwoarang, who had just moved away from his spot and into the open. "This time there is no escape! Prepare yourself as I cleave through your soul!"

Pouring ki into his drum lid until it glowed with a purplish light, Hwoarang reared back and shouted, "We'll see who's going to be getting their soul dissected, grape-face. Have a taste of this!" Hurling the lid as an Olympian competitor would throw a discus, Hwoarang watched as his glowing circle of razor-sharp steel at the golem. So swift and so powerful did Hwoarang toss the lid, that the golem didn't even have time to counter the attack properly.

His throat was nicked by the lid and was marked with a shower of blood and sparks…but his axe Kutules was another matter entirely. The hide of the behemoth was so durable and tough that the disc ricocheted off of his throat and headed towards the axe in its hand, slicing through the oak hilt and causing the blade of the axe to fall to the ground.

Astaroth tried to scream, but his throat had been severely damaged, so instead he picked up what was left of his weapon (enough to have a decent hand axe) and ran towards Hwoarang with murderous intent. The Korean martial artist sidestepped the golem's chop, allowing him to instead hit one of the generators and repaying Astaroth's violence with a massive electrical shock that stunned the monster and temporarily knocked him out.

_I probably should take him out now, _Hwoarang said as he ran over to his comrades, who were beginning to get back onto their feet, _but there's no way I'm going to let the others miss out on this. We're so close to taking him out…so we might as well do it as comrades._

"Finally, that blasted venom wore off," Kenichi muttered as he helped Asuka get back on her feet. "That's twice too many times that I've been poisoned the past two months…"

"Is everyone all right?" Jin turned to the rest of his comrades before looking to Hwoarang. "You did well, Hwoarang: thanks for saving a piece for us."

"Yeah, yeah," Hwoarang waved his hand before turning around to wear Astaroth was beginning to rise back up. "Now how about the rest of you guys suit up so that we can have some real fun?"

Astaroth let forth a roar of primal anger as he flipped back onto his feet and growled. "You destroyed my most precious possession. I swear that I'll drink deep in your blood for that!"

"I wouldn't count on it, fiend," Feng pointed an accusing finger at the golem while the others lined up next to him. "Your day of judgment has finally arrived!" As he said that, Feng's morpher sparkled until it uttered the words "standing by." After activating the morpher, his body was engulfed in an orange light as he struck one of his many Kempo stances. "Crushing **hundreds **offoes with my hands of judgment…" Once his suit had fully formed, his arms spun around wildly before striking another stance, "…Champion of the Three Kingdoms: ShinkenBronze!"

"**ZERO,**" Kenichi's closed fist shot up into the air his body was engulfed in gray light. "Cutting down foes with my undying soul…" Once his suit had fully formed, Kenichi stomped his foot and the floor and got into a horse stance, "…Dazzling Warrior of the Void: ShinkenSilver!"

"**ONE**," Sticking his left index finger high into the air, Hwoarang fired off a roundhouse kick into the air before entering his Flamingo Stance, his body glowing with purple light while his suit repaired itself from the damage it had endured. "Striking down foes with fatal footwork…Tae Kwan Do-estilo: ShinkenBlack!"

"**TWO**," Her left index and middle fingers pointing skyward, Asuka's body crackled with white light. "Overcoming foes with daunting defense…" Once her suit had finally encased her body, she got into her traditional defensive stance, "...Aikido-estilo: ShinkenWhite!"

"**THREE**," Steve stuck up three fingers in the air while his suit began to materialize around his figure in the form of blue shine. "Beating down foes with peerless punches…" After seeing that he was fully encased in its power, he brought his hand down and entered his Flicker stance, "…Boxing-estilo: ShinkenBlue!"

"**FOUR**," With all her fingers on her left hand up in the air save for her thumb, Xiaoyu smiled as warm yellow light hugged her lithe figure. "Overwhelming foes with blinding speed…" Once the yellow light took solid form as her Shinkenger suit, she brought her hand back down and crouched into her Phoenix stance,"…Kung Fu-estilo: ShinkenYellow!"

"**FIVE**," His open palm shooting into the sky, Jin's body sparkled with a brilliant red flash. "Smashing foes with the fists of fury…" the flash quickly solidified into his Shinkenger suit, and when it did so, he entered his Power stance, "…Karate-estilo: ShinkenRed!"

Once the rest of his team got out of their respective stances, Jin spoke once again while pointing a finger at their adversary, who had not yet realized that this sestet would probably be his end. "Under the power of our divine fists, chaos shall never thrive!"

The once-dreary factory was now full of hope as the steel canyons of its main floor echoed as the team punched the ground before rising back up and sticking their fists out in front of them while their ki crackled across their bodies and the jewels on their chests flashing violently. Prepared to end what they began three weeks ago, the team shouted out their mighty name. "**TEKKENSHU SENTAI…SHINKENGER!**"

"Grrr…damn you all," Astaroth hissed before stomping his foot on the ground, leaving a shallow crater in the floor. "Kutules or no, I'll rip you to shreds!" Pounding his chest like an angry ape, Astaroth roared and ran towards his adversaries with his fist raised.

Utilizing every ounce of their power, the martial arts team locked their wrists together and reared back as energy most pure swirled in their palms. Oblivious to their tactic, Astaroth continued to charge with his arms flailing like a man possessed. "Wrong, freakshow," Hwoarang muttered while he and his comrades glowed fiercely. "You're not going to ripping up anyone…ever again!"

"SHINKEN ULTIMATE TEAM-UP TECHNIQUE: **TEKKENSHU SEVEN STAR MAELSTROM!"**

Seven rays of raw destructive energy erupted from the Shinkengers' hands, blasting Astaroth with indescribable power and wrath. The golem, despite all of his strength and brute force, could not withstand such might. He was blown away like a thistle in the wind as the rays ate away at his near-impenetrable hide. To the team's surprise once they put down their hands, Astaroth got right back up.

However, it was obvious to all of them that he would never bother them again. His right hand was blown off, and his beating heart could be seen once again, along with his ribcage and the cartilage in his knees. "D-damn you," Astaroth said with haggard breath as he slowly limped towards them. "I never thought that one day you bastards would be my end…I must've gotten careless."

"Enough," Jin said as he and Hwoarang walked over to the golem, who had just fallen down onto his back. "It's time you told us why you've been terrorizing the city for so long."

"Heh," Astaroth chuckled before wheezing for a few seconds. After the coughing subsided, he answered truthfully, "I did it because I was told to do so by the one who revived me. As you may have noticed I have limited my attacks to certain locations: otherwise I would've reduced your city to crumbles by now."

"Well, that just makes us feel so much better," Hwoarang commented as he stomped his foot on Astaroth's heart, forcing him to take a sharp breath. "How about you tell us whose errand boy you've been all this time?"

"I'll take that secret to Hell along with me," Astaroth smiled beneath the mask that covered his mouth. "However, I will tell you this: our base of operations is a little less than two miles from here. I won't tell you which direction, though: that would spoil the thrill of the hunt. But first," Astaroth slowly lifted his left arm and motioned his finger towards him, "come a little closer, I have something to tell you that I don't want your comrades to hear."

Jin and Hwoarang, their curiosities piqued, leaned down slightly as Astaroth continued to motion them closer to his face. However, when they finally got close enough, he punched both of them in the face, shattering both their helmets and causing them to back away from them. "What the hell was that for?" Hwoarang shouted as he rubbed wear he had been struck. "We give you a break, and look what you do!"

"The last blow is mine, ShinkenBlack," Astaroth let out one final, awful laugh as he stood back up before falling right back down again, this time on his stomach. "Just remember, Shinkenger: my boss has someone waiting for you at our lair; someone who is quite possibly more powerful than I am. I may die here, but at least it will be that way knowing that you'll be following me to Hell in a couple of days!"

Leaving the golem to his fate, Hwoarang and Jin turned around to join the others on their way to the factory's exit. _Well, rest in peace, guys, _Hwoarang thought as he turned his head to see the fallen murderer who had killed his friends. _Now I can wrap this up once and for all by taking out the scumbag's boss. For now, though, another one bites the dust, courtesy of the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger!_

Meanwhile, the dying Astaroth heard a whisper in his ear: the miniature radio that had been lodged in his ear. His blood began to pool on the floor as he took his last few precious breaths. The Black Giant of Ares died with a grin as the human that had earned in his respect, the only one who had treated him not as a tool but as a warrior, said quietly, _Astaroth…you have done well..._


	25. Episode 24: ShinkenLord

I would like to apologize for the lack of action in this chapter: Heihachi's premiere should be much more intense, but I was battling with writer's block and homework overload. That being said, I hope to have completely shaken off the fetters of the block by this weekend.

Enjoy!

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The Mishima Estate is not limited to one specific area, but numerous tracks of land peppered across the island of Kanto. This included, but was not limited to, the premises of the Mishima Mansion and the grounds of Mishima High School. Numerous factories and buildings of business also contributed to the cluster of space that the Zaibatsu occupied. To an observer, it would seem that the Zaibatsu, and not the local government, was the true king of this land.

Even in the mountainous area of the island, the hand of the Zaibatsu reached into the area to bestow upon Heihachi Mishima, the current head of the massive conglomerate a personal training ground to temper his fists into lethal weapons. The mountainous area would be ideal for such a regimen so that when he would hold the King of Iron Fist Tournament, he would be ready to crush the competition that would think themselves worthy of his title.

However, not all in this area was as lush as most of the terrain.

There was one area that was completely desolate: five acres of soot and ash that left the area completely flat with absolutely no sign of vegetation. This area was called Honmaru. A little over a year prior, this place was the location of the Mishima Fighting Karate private dojo: it was here that the warrior clan of Mishima practiced their legendary martial art. A temple of magnificent standards that was decorated with glorious statues of Buddha, it would clear the minds of anyone who would go there and meditate.

However, all of that was now in the past. When a squadron of Jack-4s self-destructed in a failed attempt to slay Heihachi, they laid waste to the sacred place and reduced it to rubble. The statues of the Buddha were melted under the intense heat of the explosion, while the wood and steel that made up the structure of the place of training was scattered in the winds or placed broken on the charred earth.

However, a single battle cry could be heard in this place that was now called "Ground Zero."

"SEI-YA!!"

Ryoku tossed a sharp kick into the wind as he continued his kata in the barren wasteland that remained of Honmaru. It had been two days since Kazuya had breathed life back into his lifeless body and returned him to the mortal plane of existence. The day before, Kazuya's previous general, the golem Astaroth, was slain by the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger. The Shinkenger, who had been hounding Kazuya for nearly a month, was led by none other than Ryoku's grandson Jin and also included his granddaughter Asuka.

_If they were able to take down someone as powerful as Astaroth, _Ryoku thought as he took a deep breath before doing a cartwheel kick, _then they are indeed my grandchildren. I can't wait to see what they'll do when I come knocking!_

With the anticipation of that showdown on his mind, the powerful martial artist told Kazuya that he would be out of town for the rest of the day to train. Being that the Shinkenger would probably use the day to lick their wounds and prepare, Kazuya and Ryoku both agreed that it would be wise to do the same. So while Kazuya trained in his lab, Ryoku decide to head a place a bit more nostalgic.

_So Honmaru was destroyed in an explosion,_ Ryoku recalled while he charged his ki, _I didn't think that would happen: this place was like a fortress of gods. At least, it was like that the last time I was here. _Once his power had peaked, the martial arts master's body burned with power as he lifted his hands high in the air. _Back in my day, Honmaru dojo could withstand any attack that someone could throw at it…except maybe THIS!_

Throwing his hands down onto the ground with blinding speed, the charred earth beneath him erupted with a geyser of green energy as if to respond to his hands making contact with it. The radius of the explosion steadily increased as Ryoku continued to pour his ki into the ground, allowing his body to be encased like a cocoon. The geyser continued to rip through the earth, but the destruction only fueled his drive.

_This technique is near impossible for any mortal man, _he mused as he finally lifted his hands off the ground, thus cutting off the wave of destruction at its source. _However, I am beyond that now: I have experienced death and have now learned techniques that the living can only hope to see in Tokusatsu programs!_

Once he returned to full standing position, Ryoku looked at the aftermath of his newly-discovered technique: even though the spot he was standing in remained unaltered, the rest of the ground surrounding him in a ten-meter radius was now a crater what he estimated to be around five feet deep. "Not bad for my first try," Ryoku said out loud to no one in particular. "Maybe I can make it reach farther and deeper with more practice: I'll need it if I want to take on all seven of those guys."

Ryoku coughed as he inhaled the dust kicked up from the attack before dusting off his uniform. As he did so, he took the time to admire it. It was an Aikido uniform with dark teal pants and a gray vest, and on the back of the vest was the kanji "chikara." Chikara was the kanji for the term power: the definition of his own name. _Being strong was nothing new for me, even in my past life. _Ryoku flexed his arms and took the time to idolize his own build. _But now, I am truly worthy of my namesake. Even my sister Yukie didn't have this kind of might!_

Suddenly, Ryoku stopped flexing and tensed his body. There was someone close by: someone with an aura almost as powerful as his. Scanning his bleak surroundings for whatever it was that caught his attention, he heard a faint revving sound in the distance. Ryoku followed the sound until he spotted an object coming towards him. It was a navy blue car driving up next to the motorcycle that Ryoku had used to drive here. The blue car stopped next to the motorcycle, and its driver's side door opened.

_And speaking of might…look who's come over to say hello!_

The man that stepped out of the car was and elderly Japanese fellow wearing a tiger-striped fur coat, brown gloves, and purple dress pants. He was bald save for two stocks of gray hair growing from the back of his ears that stuck up like devilish horns, and a bushy gray mustache to go along with it. "So, that aura I felt wasn't just my imagination," he said as he began walking towards Ryoku. "It's been a long time, Kazama."

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"Heihachi Mishima," Ryoku crossed his arms as a sumg grin crept upon his face. "Indeed, it has been a long time. Look at you: you're almost bald on top and your hair is even grayer than the gi I'm wearing!" The Aiki-Jujitsu master let out a deep, manly laugh before continuing. "Father Time really gave you a thrashing, didn't he?"

"Unlike you, I never took any vacations from life," Heihachi retorted while crossing his own arms. "I have strived and lived through all hardships that have come my way: unfortunately you cannot say the same."

"…I can't argue with that, unfortunately," Ryoku's smile faded, but his arms continued to remained crossed. "What brings you all the way out here, old friend? Did you come to greet me after all these years?"

"I was going to ask you the very same question," Heihachi stroked his chin in contemplation as he evaluated Ryoku. "I was there at your funeral and watched your body go under: in all fairness, you should be dead."

"Well, guess what? I got better, and now I'm back to stay," Ryoku uncrossed his arms and cracked his neck before assuming a fighting stance. "Come on, Heihachi: I'm in the mood to show you what the afterlife has done for me!"

"That wasn't what I came for, believe it or not," Heihachi replied with a smirk as he too assumed a fighting stance. "However, I am interested to see if you've improved: all my other dead friends have yet to challenge me to a match after their demise."

The two of them slowly sidestepped, sizing up their foe like lions sizing up their prey. Even though it originally meant to be a circle, the direction they walked in more closely resembled a spiral as the two old warriors slowly advanced towards each other. When it had gotten to a point where they were a couple of steps away from one another, they stopped stalling and engaged in fierce battle.

Heihachi wasted no time, opening the fight with a horizontal chop to Ryoku's kidney. Momentarily stunning his foe, the elderly karateka sent him flying away with a powerful palm thrust to the chest. "You always fell for that in every opening blow we shared," Heihachi rubbed his chin while Ryoku screeched across the ground. "I suppose some things don't change, no matter how many lives one goes through."

"I just wanted to see if you learned any new openings: apparently, I was mistaken." Ryoku shouted as he flipped back onto his feet. Bending over backwards to avoid a spinning backhanded punch, Ryoku rose back up to deliver an elbow to Heihachi's chin. The Aikido expert took advantage of the successful hit by executing a second elbow in a forward spear-like motion. The resulting blow sent Heihachi soaring backwards and he landed on the ground with a thud.

With inhuman speed, Ryoku ran to Heihachi's fallen body and snatched him off the ground, only to drive him right back into it with a powerful body slam. The ash and soot kicked into the air as Heihachi's body crashed into the charred floor. Heihachi attempted to get back onto his feet, but Ryoku grabbed his ankle and then threw him right back down into the ground. "Third time's coming 'round, Hei," Ryoku taunted as he reached down once again. "Better get your butt in gear!"

Giving an unspoken answer, Heihachi successfully rolled away from an attempted third slam and sent Ryoku rocketing into the air with a fearsome Demon Uppercut. However, Heihachi wasn't going to let Ryoku fall to the ground so fast. Bashing his foe in midair with a spinning backhanded punch, Heihachi crouched down and began spinning like a top. Just as Ryoku would fall to the ground, he was kept barely hovering above it with a series of low spinning kicks. After the third kick, Heihachi rose back up with a jumping uppercut: his Thunder Godfist.

Ryoku landed on his head and then fell onto his back like a teetering tower that had its support knocked out from under it. Before he could roll back onto his feet, Ryoku was pinned to the ground as Heihachi's foot stomped on his chest. The pain was further amplified when Heihachi's lightning-like ki surged across his leg. "I may not have a body as freshly rested as yours, Ryoku," Heihachi growled as he grinded his heel into Ryoku's sternum, "but never tell me to 'get my butt in gear:' it's always ready for combat!"

When Heihachi lifted his foot for a second stomp, Ryoku's rolled away and scrambled back onto his feet just in time to parry his opponent's punch. Once he had gotten a good grip on Heihachi's arm, Ryoku tossed him over his shoulder with ease and send him spinning uncontrollably behind him: the Kazama-ryu's famed Vacuum Throw. Heihachi quickly scrambled back onto his feet, but was sent spiraling down to the ground with a jumping roundhouse kick.

Heihachi slowly got back up and dusted himself off while Ryoku did the same. The two of them breathed heavily and wiped the sweat off their brows. Before now, neither of them had seen nor spoken to each other for the past forty years. As warriors from a generation past, it was certainly a rush to have someone to combat who wasn't some young whippersnapper. The two of them soaked in the brief pause before preparing to resume…

…until Ryoku felt a slight buzzing in his pocket. The Aikido expert looked down, and then looked at Heihachi as he pulled his cell phone out. Heihachi nodded his head, and Ryoku answered the phone.

_What is he up to? _Heihachi thought to himself as he watched Ryoku talk on the phone, too quiet for him to hear. _He has clearly changed since I last saw him, and not just in his appearance…I wonder what it means._

After a few seconds of murmuring and nodding, Ryoku hung up his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. "Sorry I have to cut this short, old buddy, but I need to start heading back to base. It'll take me a couple of hours to get there, so ta-ta."

"Hold it right there, Ryoku," Heihachi held out a hand as he gave that command. "How about you first tell me how you came back, and more importantly, if you had any help doing so."

"That's none of your business, Hei," Ryoku retorted as he put his thumb to his mouth and bit it, causing to bleed. "However, if you're still looking for a playmate…I think I can help you out there." Smearing his blood on the ground until he had etched the crimson kanji "metsu" onto the ground, Ryoku muttered something before stomping his foot on the earth. The ground itself began to shake violently as Heihachi looked around in confusion.

Suddenly, the ground erupted as blue-skinned reptilian creatures leapt out of the earth. The creatures bared their claws and let out a primal shrill as they turned to Heihachi, their mouths watering with bloodlust. "So, you know how to summon Lizard-men," the elder karateka stroked his chin in curiosity. "I heard there have been hordes of them attacking Tokyo while I was out of town: I must assume that you are in league with whoever has been terrorizing the city."

"Assume and you make an ass of you and me, Hei," Ryoku turned around and began to head for his motorcycle. "Have fun, Heihachi: maybe I'll see you around."

"Not so fast, Ryo," Heihachi once again caught Ryoku's attention as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a gleaming device that shone in the light like a prism about the size of a computer mouse. Etched into the device in dark blue were the two kanji "Tekken." "Before you go, I have something to show you." Putting his hands to his side, Heihachi entered his Raijin Stance and gathered his gi. His morpher crackled as both his fists spewed out light blue sparks. Applying his fist to an oncoming Lizard-man, which promptly exploded in a fiery plume, Heihachi's body began to glow brightly.

When the light faded, Ryoku raised an eyebrow to see what now stood in Heihachi's face: yet another Shinkenger. This one's vest was platinum like most of the other ones, but it shone like a prism, giving off an awe-inspiring rainbow. Embedded in his chest were seven orange jewels arranged in a circle, and hanging across his back was a golden tenko, crackling with electricity as he took deep concentrated breaths. Black armguards protected his wrists, while the rest of his body was covered in a navy blue bodysuit. His helmet of that same color, which covered his entire head, had two fins growing out the side of it, as if to give room for his unique hair fashion. Sitting on his forehead was the symbol "infinity" while his eyes were masked with a black visor.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself, Ryoku," Heihachi said as he stomped his foot on the ground. "Obiliterating **all **foes, whether they be flesh, machine, or god!" Entering his Raijin stance and once again powering up, Heihachi shot his fist into the air and let out a war cry. "I am the King of the Iron Fists: ShinkenLord!"

After taking time to admire his new form (and he had to admit, he was a magnificent specimen of masculinity and power), Heihachi looked around and counted the Lizard-man horde that Ryoku had summoned. They had arranged themselves in a cluster, which made it hard to count. _I estimate a little over one-hundred of them¸_ Heihachi smiled under his helmet as he ran up the horde and began to scatter it with his fists. _It should be an interesting workout!_

A single Lizard-man began the onslaught by biting Heihachi's arm. The elder man laughed as he lifted it off his arm as easily as someone would remove a speck of dust and held it by its neck. Spinning around for momentum, Heihachi flung the Lizard-man into its comrades, knocking out three of them with the force at which he threw the reptile. Turning around just in time to avoid a swipe, Heihachi sent ten of them flying with an Omen Thunder Godfist that left blue sparks, and splatters of bodily fluids, in its wake.

Grabbing another Lizard-man by the tail, Heihachi used it as a bludgeon to send another five Lizard-men soaring through the hair. Once he had done that, he altered his grip on the living weapon he had created and now held him by the neck. Rearing his head back, Heihachi headbutted the Lizard-men and sent it screeching across the ground: the power of his mighty Stonehead.

Heihachi noticed that the Lizard-men were backing away from him, and took the opportunity to taunt them, even though he knew full well they couldn't understand a word he was saying. "Where do you think you're going, you leather-skinned fools!" Heihachi let out a hearty laugh before resuming his fighting stance. "There are still almost eighty of you remaining: try coming at me all at once!"

As if to answer Heihachi, twenty Lizard-men stepped forward and lined up. The insides of their mouth radiated green power, as if their mouth was full of fire. An instant later, it was revealed that they were holding just that, as they opened their mouths and emitted beams of green flame.

However, even though such a combined blast would burn flesh of anyone else, Heihachi was fully prepared to take the stream head-on. Instead, he slowly walked towards the Lizard-men as the stream pushed on his chest, as if the Lizard-men were trying to control an angry mob by hosing them away. Unfortunately, Heihachi wasn't an angry mob: he was the King of the Iron Fists.

Once he was within an arm's reach of the Lizard-man artillery, Heihachi reached out and grabbed on of the Lizard-men by the throat and pulled it towards him. Latching onto his tail, as well, he positioned the Lizard-man so that he was horizontal in the air with its head pointing towards its comrades. The Lizard-man fired off its blast of flame in an attempt to free itself, but instead only burned his comrades to a crisp. Heihachi laughed maliciously as he did so, occasionally giving his living flamethrower words of encouragement as it toasted its brethren.

When he felt that the Lizard-man had suffered enough, Heihachi hurled it into what comrades it had left, who then huddled together and quietly hissed as if they were collectively putting their heads together to form a plan. "Whatever you're planning over there, it's not going to work," Heihachi shouted out loud as ran towards the remaining fifty Lizard-men. "Allow me to make this simple for you: it's over!" With his fist crackling with neon-blue power, Heihachi's rapid advance became so fast that it seemed to any bystander (namely Ryoku) that he had transformed into a lightning bolt…

…a lighting bolt which ripped through four dozen Lizard-men as Heihachi finally came into contact with the horde. Two Lizard-men managed to get out of the way, but their comrades looked as if they were frozen in time. Heihachi, who had stopped in the very center of the horde, looked at all of frozen Lizard-men before snapping his fingers. As if they were following an audio cue, the four dozen Lizard-men fell to the ground, spasming violently before ceasing to move.

Heihachi turned around to see the final two Lizard-men shivering in fear. Heihachi took a step forward, and the Lizard-men promptly bent over and dig into the charred ground, burrowing themselves and retreating from the massacre. After a couple of minutes, Heihachi realized that they weren't coming back. _It only took one minute to defeat all of them, _he thought as he turned around to face Ryoku, _it would seem that this device is worth the trouble spent creating it!_

However, he noticed that Ryoku had already driven away, escaping his notice when the final two Lizard-men retreated into the ground. With his suit fading in a wide array of colored light, Heihachi took a deep breath and looked at his morpher. _Ahmet told me that my grandson Jin and some of his cohorts have donned the Tekkenshu experimental armor morphers that I created years ago, _he thought to himself as he looked into the cloudy sky. _I suppose I should join the fray with them…but for now I'll put this little device aside and watch what happens. _

As Heihachi removed his morpher from his wrist and placed it in his pocket, he felt his cell phone buzz in his jacket. Removing the phone, Heihachi flipped it open and a familiar voice was heard.

"Sorry I had to leave before you could show me what the power of ShinkenLord was **really** capable of," Ryoku's voice buzzed in Heihachi's ear. "My benefactor gets in a hissy fit when his partners are late for a meeting. I'm sure as the owner of the big bad Zaibatsu you could understand that."

"Of course, old friend," Heihachi replied truthfully. "Perhaps if our grandson and his compatriots don't slay you, we can have a more suitable rematch: do not assume that I was unaware that you were holding back."

"Heh," Ryoku chuckled over the phone before continuing. "I see that you're aware of the Shinkenger as well, which is probably why you're donning a morpher yourself. At any rate, are you going to try and stop my fun if it comes down to that?"

"…maybe. It will depend on what mood I'm in." the elderly karateka began to walk over to his vehicle before continuing. "I wish to see how this plays out, nothing more. However, that dark aura that you've developed does worry me. At any rate…tell my son that I congratulate him for staying under the radar for so long, and that I will be seeing him again soon."

"So you knew that all along, too, huh?" Ryoku let out a manly laugh before Heihachi hung up. "Whatever the case, old buddy, it was good to see you again…even if we'll probably be on the opposite ends on the battlefield when our paths cross again. Until next time…"


	26. Episode 25: Surprise Guest

If you have a connection that supports youtube, be sure to look for my account (the username is, as always, Psychoblue): I've uploaded some nice stuff!

Enjoy the chapter!

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It had been two days since Astaroth had fallen, and the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger had once again prepared to resume their search for the beast's lair. The day of rest that followed Astaroth's demise at the abandoned factory had done wonders for the sestet's health. Not only did it allow them to recover from their wounds, but it also allowed them to form a plan as to how to go about combating the mysterious foe should they find his lair.

They certainly weren't going to split up in the same manner they did earlier: Astaroth claimed with his dying breath that their enemy had someone waiting for them far more powerful than even the golem, and it took everything the team had to stop the golem. If it took that much just to stop the golem, going up against their mystery foe at anything less than full strength would be suicidal.

_That's why we're going to go in as we should have gone in from the very start, _Xiaoyu thought as she happily entered the doorway of the Mishima Mansion, _we're going to end this…together!_

Even though she was an active combatant in the fight against the mysterious enemy as the lithe ShinkenYellow, Xiaoyu still had obligations as a high school student and as a key figure in the Mishima Financial Empire. Sometimes she found it difficult to remain constantly alert for a monster attack or Lizard-man parade, the youthful woman enjoyed school and didn't see any need to shirk her duties as a student.

_It seems weird, though, _she thought as she placed her bookbag down on a nearby couch and sat down. _The day that Astaroth first attacked was just a day just like this one, with me coming from school. _Xiaoyu looked up at the ceiling and reminisced to that fateful day. _Jin was in the library looking at the morpher that his mother had given him before she left to go to the United States, and Asuka had just arrived from Osaka to visit Kenichi._

Xiaoyu stood up from the couch and walked into the library, where her sense of déjà vu was further confirmed when she spotted someone. However, rather than seeing Jin sitting at the desk pondering over his morpher, Xiaoyu witnessed Kenichi performing a smooth, flowing kata that left Xiaoyu awestruck. In the past days, Kenichi's katas were sharp and forceful like something was bothering him. However, now that Astaroth had been defeated, he had regained his confidence and his poise.

_Well, I can certainly see why Asuka finds him hot, _Xiaoyu thought when Kenichi noticed her and ended his kata. _He might not have Jin's muscles, but he sure is cute! _Quickly regaining her composure, Xiaoyu brushed her hair back and handed Kenichi the water bottle that was sitting on the desk. "Sorry if I was interrupting, Kenichi-san!"

"Of course not, Xiaoyu," Kenichi bowed politely as he took a quick swig of the bottle in his hand. "The others are out right now, but I think they'll be back in time for our meeting." Sitting down in the lounge chair on the other side of the library, Kenichi took a deep breath. "Xiaoyu, can I ask you something?"

Xiaoyu tilted her head in curiosity as she pulled up a chair and sat next to Kenichi. "Of course, Kenichi, what do you want to know?"

"…does Asuka resent me?"

"Why would she resent you?" Xiaoyu didn't really have any idea why Kenichi would think such a thing, especially given the conversation she had with Asuka the week before about their relationship. However, she certainly wouldn't mind knowing why Kenichi felt that Asuka had been giving him the cold shoulder.

"These past two weeks we've been reunited, I've done little to show how much I care about her," Kenichi began solemnly. "Just three weeks after we shared our first kiss, we were separated when she went back to Osaka when I decided to stay here to train with Yoshi-sensei."

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Xiaoyu smiled, remembering speaking to Yoshimitsu prior to Asuka's arrival to Tokyo. "He's really proud of the progress you've made, Kenichi. I'm sure it's worth the heartache if it'll make you a better person for Asuka."

"That's what I keep telling myself, but I still feel that I'm rejecting Asuka's advances and giving her the wrong impression," the Japanese youth took a deep sigh before continuing. Clearly he was lost, and didn't know what to do. "I suppose I didn't notice this until we had that argument about Feng joining the group. I still can't get over how upset she was when I sided with the others."

"Look at how it all turned out though," Xiaoyu pointed out, hoping to cheer her friend up. "Feng has helped us out a lot this past week: he even helped save both my life and Asuka's when we were dealing with Jean." Suddenly, a metaphorical light went off in Xiaoyu's head as she once again when she spoke to Asuka about Kenichi. "That reminds me: when we went to Tokyo Tower, Asuka actually spoke to me about you two."

"Did she now?" Kenichi lifted his head from the cushioned lounge chair and raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?"

"She said that she's afraid that if she shows you how she felt, she might drive you away," Xiaoyu answered, silently grateful that Asuka didn't have her sworn to secrecy and thus leave Kenichi in the dark. "To be honest, it sounds to me like you have a similar stand on your relationship."

Kenichi nodded his head before standing out of the lounge chair and slowly pacing the library. "I'm worried that if I decide to capitalize on our relationship and show her how I feel, it will make leaving her that much more painful." Kenichi turned his head to Xiaoyu as he explained further. "Once we defeat this enemy, Asuka will have to go back to Osaka and I'll have to return to Mt. Fuji to train. I don't want to do anything that could break someone's heart, but for her sake I have to continue learning from Yoshi-sensei…"

"Why did you ask him to train you, Kenichi?" Xiaoyu asked as her interest piqued after listening to Kenichi's moral dilemma. "You obviously want to stay with Asuka, but at the same time Yoshimitsu-san is helping you do something that will benefit her." The Chinese woman noticed Kenichi's troubled expression upon hearing her ask that question, so she quickly apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry Kenichi, I'm sure it's none of my business!"

Before Kenichi could respond, a buzzing was heard that rang through both his and Xiaoyu's ears. Xiaoyu went to the desk and pressed the intercom button asked with sincerity and politeness, "How may I help you?"

"Hey there, sport," a deep male voice responded over the speaker. "I was wondering if Heihachi was home: I'm an old friend of his who he hasn't seen in a long time."

'_An old friend of Heihachi,' _Xiaoyu repeated in her mind as she headed to the nearby window to see who this mystery guest was. _Heihachi said he was going to return home later today, but he didn't say anything about company. _Looking out the window, she witnessed a tall muscular figure with long, stringy white hair wearing dark teal hakama pants and gray gi. _An Aikido uniform, similar to the one that Asuka has, _Xiaoyu stroked her chin thoughtfully. _I wonder if he knows the Kazamas. _"I'll be there in a moment," she finally said after pressing the intercom button yet again. "You're welcome to stay here and wait until he gets back!"

Xiaoyu walked to the front door and opened it to reveal the man: he was obviously Japanese, and she noticed that his skin was almost as pale as Bryan Fury's. _This guy's aura…, _the youthful woman took a few steps back as the man walked inside, _it's so powerful: it's like I'm staring at strength personified! _Quickly regaining her composure, Xiaoyu bowed politely, "Welcome, sir: my name is Ling Xiaoyu, and I'll do everything to make you feel at ho-ACK!"

The stranger suddenly lashed out and grabbed the girl by the throat, squeezing so hard that she couldn't even scream. "My name is Ryoku Kazama, kid," the stranger said as he lifted Xiaoyu off her feet and slowly carried her to the library. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. How about you introduce me to the rest of your-"

Not ten seconds after he cut off Xiaoyu's greeting, Ryoku's rambling was halted as he received an aerial boot to the face, forcing him to drop Xiaoyu and run up next to Kenichi who had just landed from his attack. "We invite you as a guest, and yet you attack us without warning?" Kenichi said as he and Xiaoyu assumed their respective fighting stances. "Just who are you anyway, and what do you want?"

"You must be Kenichi Masamune," Ryoku said as he rubbed his jaw where he had been struck and sent both the boy and Xiaoyu spiraling backwards with a leaping spinning kick. "It's just as I said before: my name is Ryoku Kazama, and I'm here for Heihachi. However, if he's not here I'll be more than happy to warm up with you two teenage heartthrobs!"

"Wait a second," Kenichi flipped back onto his feet and help Xiaoyu onto hers as he absorbed what Ryoku had claimed. "You're a Kazama? Does that mean you're related to Asuka and Jin?"

"Right you are, kiddo," the elder man applauded with mock enthusiasm before biting his thumb until it bled. Once he did that, he smeared his blood on the floor and stomped his foot. Almost immediately afterward, a blue-skinned Lizard-man popped up from the floor and grabbed Xiaoyu from behind while covering her mouth. Kenichi turned around, but Ryoku grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the center of the lobby before he could come to her aid. "I figure that you're my granddaughter's main squeeze so I'll tangle with you first," the madman cracked his knuckles before assuming a fighting stance. "Let's see if you're worthy enough to help make me a great-grandfather!"

Kenichi got into his own fighting stance and observed Ryoku carefully. This man was clearly a master simply by looking at how flawless his stance was. _It's just like Kazama-sempai's stance, _he thought to himself before rushing towards the muscular martial artist to make the first attack, _perhaps I can use my experience against Kazama-ryu fighters to my advantage._

When Kenichi began the fight with a forward punch, however, Ryoku put that strategy to rest when he lifted the boy off of his feet and spun him around vertically before tossing him over his shoulder with a swift Vacuum Throw. However, rather than letting him land on the ground, Ryoku decided to bend over backwards and grab onto Kenichi's ankle in mid-air to stop him from spinning. Like a rubber band shooting back, Ryoku righted himself so that he could beat Kenichi into the ground like a whip. Letting go of the boy, Ryoku drove his foot into his back, eliciting a scream of agony from Kenichi.

"You got nice lungs, kiddo," Ryoku stroked his chin before letting Kenichi roll back onto his feet to catch his breath. "However, let's see what you can do when someone is trying to beat you up…much like I'm doing to you now!" Taking advantage of Ryoku's ramblings, Kenichi jumped into the air and kicked Ryoku in the jaw as he came down with a diving kick. Ryoku reeled back in pain, and Kenichi saw another opening and took advantage of it by stomping his foot on the ground while simultaneous shooting out his fist forward to send him rolling backwards into a couch.

Kenichi pursued his foe and leapt up high into the air with his hand raised in preparation for a falling vertical chop. Unfortunately for him, Ryoku rolled out of the way to leave Kenichi to instead attack the couch. With his hand stuck between the cushions for an instant, Kenichi was left vulnerable to Ryoku's cartwheel kick that landed on the young man's spinal cord. "No cracking sound after that," the white-haired behemoth said as he grabbed Kenichi by the neck while he gripped his back in pain. "You're tough as nails, and you have a nice face." Ryoku tossed him away like a rag doll before turning to Xiaoyu. "You'll be a decent in-law…if you survive today."

Ryoku snapped his fingers, and the Lizard-man holding Xiaoyu responded accordingly by letting go of her and burrowing into the hole in created in the floor. The Chinese girl quickly began running towards where Kenichi lay groaning, but Ryoku stepped in front of her. The speed she had been running at was so fast that she bumped off Ryoku's chest and screeched across the floor. However, Ryoku simply brushed himself off before motioning his finger towards him. "Come on, sport: you're next."

Tossing aside her doubts, Xiaoyu leapt into the air and struck Ryoku with her own aerial kick. However, rather than ending it with a single kick, she used the propulsion from the first kick to land a second, and then a third. Ryoku put his hands up in a blocking position to protect himself from the resulting flurry of kicks that showed skill beyond Xiaoyu's years. Putting extra force in the concluding kick, Xiaoyu flipped away while Ryoku's feet slid across the floor from such momentum.

"Hey, you're not too bad either," Ryoku let down his guard just in time to catch Xiaoyu, who had leapt into the air for another flurry of kicks. "Let's see how well you take the pain, though." With both his hands holding on to his foe, Ryoku tossed Xiaoyu head-first into the ground with devastating counter-attack. However, Ryoku wasn't about to let her have any respite. Lifting her off the ground, he repeated the maneuver for a second slam. This time, Xiaoyu left a crack into the hardwood floor.

When Ryoku attempted for a third toss, however, Xiaoyu kicked Ryoku in the stomach. Still crouching down, Xiaoyu attempted a new flurry of kicks: one which gradually made its way up Ryoku's body. Once her legs had gotten up to his chin, Xiaoyu completed the flurry with a powerful thrust that sent Ryoku rocketing into the air. _That did the trick, _Xiaoyu thought as she prepared to continue the onslaught of attacks. _If I can just keep pressing the assault maybe he'll tire-_

Ryoku quickly put such a hope to rest when he righted himself in mid-air and lifting his palm into the air. The said palm glowed fiercely as he began to fall back down to the floor. Swinging his arm in the same fashion a baseball player would throw a ball, Ryoku's metaphorical pitch came out as a blast of ki that forced Xiaoyu to abandon any ideas of attacking. The teenage martial artist quickly rolled out of the way and watched the blast hit the wall and blast a hole in it.

Finally realizing how outmatched they were, Xiaoyu ran over to Kenichi and helped him onto his feet. "Did you see that, Kenichi," she said as Kenichi dusted himself off. "He's definitely not a normal human. I wonder what Heihachi's history is with him."

"I'm more worried about how he claims to be a Kazama," Kenichi stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at Ryoku. "Kazamas are said to be warriors of justice: how is it that you're a Kazama when you seem to act like anything but?"

"Life is just full of surprises, kiddo?" the man cracked his knuckles before rushing towards the teenagers with inhuman speed. "Why do you ask: are you surprised to find out that your hopeful grandpa-in-law is a psycho like me?" Ramming his shoulder into Kenichi, Ryoku followed up with a devastating punch to his stomach and concluded the brief but powerful combo with an open-palmed blow that sent the boy crashing through the plaster wall and into the next room. Turning his attention to Xiaoyu just in time to catch her hand, Ryoku tossed her high into the air. He then took a sharp breath as he slowly rotated his arm while Xiaoyu literally hit the fan on the ceiling and proceded to freefall back down to Earth. Just before she hit the floor, Ryoku blasted her with a sudden burst of energy.

The resulting attack sent Xiaoyu crashing through the wall in an explosion of plaster and wire. She continued to soar helplessly until she crashed into a television set, shattering it in a shower of glass that cut at her smooth skin. "Oww," she whimpered quickly as she struggled to get back onto her feet. "I hope the others get here soon." Turning her head to see Kenichi flip back onto his feet while glowing with white light, Xiaoyu charged her ki until her morpher shined yellow.

"Until they do come, Xiao," Kenichi said once his ShinkenSilver suit fully formed across his body and his helmet materialized over his head, "we have no choice but to fight."

"Ah, it looks like you kids have found your second wind," Ryoku whistled and applauded upon watching the two youths complete their transformation. "ShinkenSilver and ShinkenYellow…I think it's time we start round two!" As they came charging towards him with their hands sparkling, Ryoku resumed his fighting stance. "Ready…FIGHT!"

-------

Outside of the mansion however, Hwoarang had just pulled his motorcycle into the curb and noticed that a second motorcycle was parked there, as well. He had just come back from the local cemetery to pay his respects to his two late friends Jae and Choi. Now that he had finally avenged their deaths, he could fully focus his efforts on the mysterious enemy. However, he did not yet know of the trouble that Xiaoyu and Kenichi were in. "What the hell is this?" he said out loud as he looked at the mysterious vehicle. "Do Xiao and the rookie have company?"

Hearing the slamming of doors behind him, the Korean martial artist turned around to see Jin and the others getting out of their limousine and joining him in observing the motorcycle. Whereas Hwoarang had been a the cemetery, a place of death, the others decided to head to a grocery store so that they could have something healthy to eat before their big assault. "Hey Hwoarang," Jin said as he walked up to his rival, "did you know that we were having company?"

"As if I would invite someone in this crazy place," Hwoarang rolled his eyes before beginning to walk up to the front door. "Maybe it's one of Xiaoyu's friends or some Manjitou nut that Kenichi is acquainted with…"

However, before Hwoarang could reach for the knob, the door exploded in a shower of wood and splinters to reveal Xiaoyu in her ShinkenYellow suit flying towards them. Jin caught Xiaoyu in his arms and then planted her feet on the ground. "Xiaoyu, what's going on?" he said as he prepared to morph. "Where's Kenichi?"

"He's still inside fighting Kazama-sempai," Xiaoyu shouted as she ran up to the front door to watch Kenichi continue to combat his foe. "Come on, we have to help him!"

"Wait a second," Asuka stepped up and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "What do you mean 'Kazama-sempai'? The only Kazamas here are me and Jin: did my dad decide to show up or something? And why would he be trashing Kenichi?" When she gently pushed Xiaoyu aside to look inside though, she saw that the Kazama she was referring to was not her father. "Holy crap," she muttered as she quickly opened the door and morphed into ShinkenWhite. "It's like a pro wrestler decided to don an Aikido uniform!"

"I'm glad you can find the time to joke around, Asuka," Kenichi said as he backflipped away from a roundhouse kick and landed next to his comrades. "Your family tree is certainly formidable: I thought your grandfather died before you were born."

"You don't have to think about it," Jin stated as he and the rest of his comrades were engulfed in power before their respective Shinkenger suits formed across their bodies. "I know for a fact that my mother's father is dead and has been for some time." The Japanese youth pointed a gloved finger at Ryoku before assuming a fighting stance. "Why do you claim that you're a Kazama; are you trying to taint our name!?"

"You can believe what you want, Jin," Ryoku replied casually, a smirk creeping upon his face as he watched Jin jump back in surprise. "Your mother actually said the very same thing you said just now." The madman cracked his knuckles and resumed his fighting stance before continuing. "You're definitely her son…and my grandson."

"That stance," Feng stepped forward to get a closer look at their foe. "There's no doubt about it: it's the same stance that Asuka's father uses. He truly is who he claims to be…" However, Feng's tone of voice quickly changed as he clenched his fists. "If you are truly Asuka and Jin's grandfather, then I cannot forgive you: attacking the friends of your family deserves nothing less than a most brutal punishment!"

Feng rushed at Ryoku with violent intent, taking to the air to try and strike him with a flying kick. "You have got to be kidding me," Ryoku rolled his eyes as he raised his arms up to block the attack. "What is it with you guys and jump kicks?" As soon as Feng landed, his left palm burned red while the ruby on his chest did the same. However, before Feng's burning hand could harm Ryoku, the Kazama-ryu master rammed his shoulder into the Kempo warrior. Stunned, Feng was helpless to stop the resulting stomach punch and palm thrust that had him flying backwards and careening into a wall.

"You don't like jump kicks, mate?" Steve gently bounced on the back on his feet before stepping forward to confront Ryoku. "In that case, how you we play with our other limbs?"

Ryoku raised an eyebrow just before Steve's arm shot out with lightning agility sent him flying into the air with a Sea Hawk Upper. Pressing the attack, Steve juggled him the air with a pair of lefts, a right hook, and another left punch that sent Ryoku flying backwards. Unfortunately for him, Ryoku landed on his feet with no noticeable damage. "I've always wanted to face a boxer," the madman cracked his knuckles and crouched down. "Come on, kiddo: let's see your Dempsey Roll!"

"Guv, you don't want to my Dempsey Roll," Steve shrugged before resuming his fighting stance. "If I show it, the very next thing you'll see is a hospital room, along with a lot of hoses in your body!"

"Don't be a killjoy," Ryoku shouted before advancing towards Steve with violent intent. "Make me work for my win!" Obliging to Ryoku's challenge, Steve crouched down and began to sway rapidly from left to right. Once he was in range, Steve proceded to chop at Ryoku's abdomen with vicious left and right hook. The elder Aikido practitioner grunted with every blow he suffered while Steve pressed on the assault.

When he decided that he had enough, Ryoku grabbed Steve by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Steve desperately stuggled to break free of the hold, but could not stop his foe from lifting him high in the air and driving his body down into the ground. "What's wrong, Englishman?" Ryoku taunted as he lifted the boxer off the floor to toss him down again. "I'm not seeing any hospital rooms!"

Ryoku turned around just in time to avoid a spinning kick from Hwoarang. Before the Tae Kwan Do ace could follow up on the attack, Ryoku pummeled him with a low kick and a spinning backhanded punch, following with an open palm to his face and a standing roundhouse kick to his neck that sent him spiraling backwards. "Easy there with those death feet, hotshot," the madman let out a manly laugh before crossing his arms. "You might hurt someone…namely me!"

However, Ryoku noticed that Hwoarang wasn't the only one getting back up. Feng, Kenichi, Asuka, and Steve were beginning to advance on him as well. Suddenly, the quintet rushed towards him with violent intent, preparing to attack him as a team. Spitting on the ground before raising his arms high into the air, Ryoku's body burned with green power.

The five Shinkengers took to the air simultaneously, soaring towards Ryoku in an attempt to pounce upon him. However, just when it seemed like their ploy would be successful, the madman threw his hands down to floor and his body became enveloped in a cocoon of energy that ripped through the attack like it was paper. Jin and Xiaoyu, who had hoped to attack Ryoku while the others held him still, watched the ploy fail terribly while their comrades were knocked from the sky and fell to the floor like rain.

Once the energy around him faded, Ryoku lifted his hands off the ground and returned to a full standing position to admire his handiwork. "That worked out even better than I thought it would." He suddenly turned to Jin and Xiaoyu just in time to bend over backwards to avoid their kicks, and then come back up to shove him palms in their abdomens. With a flash of green light, the couple crumpled to the ground an instant later: a sign that they had just been hit with the Kazama-ryu Inner Strength technique. "Now as for you two," Ryoku lifted the duo up by their necks as he spoke, "what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"…I can't believe my mother could possibly be related to a scumbag like you," Jin hissed.

"Believe it, sonny: Jun actually helped bring me back," his grandfather retorted before tossing both Jin and Xiaoyu into a couch. "But enough about that: you and I can have a nice family chat about it…after I put you in a coma for a couple of days!"

Before Ryoku could raise his fists, however, he was unexpectedly sent sprawling backwards from a blue bolt of lightning. The madman landed on his feet and quickly turned to the direction that the bolt came from, while everyone in the room who was still conscious did the same. Standing in the doorway was a muscular man clad in dark blue with a suit very similar to the Shinkengers' own.

"That is enough, Ryoku," the man said before assuming a proper fighting stance. "You have done enough damage to my home as it is."

_That voice, _Xiaoyu thought as she got up from the couch and ran up to the mysterious man's side. "Grandpa Heihachi, is that you under that helmet?"

"Indeed, Xiaoyu," Heihachi nodded before turning back to Ryoku, who had just resumed his own stance. "Now go and tend to your friends…this could get ugly!"


	27. Episode 26: Fire and Lightning

Well, it's Triple Threat week for me. Why? Because I have 3 major academic events this week.

1. My barrier exam in music this Thursday: if I don't pass it, I don't move on.  
2. My oral exam in Spanish on Wednesday: I need to find a topic, and rant about it in Spanish for at least three minutes without any sort of notes or script.  
3. The rough draft of my English Critique will be due on Friday: I have yet to settle on a topic.

With all this going on, why did I crank out another chapter? Because if I didn't, I would have felt guilty. I love you guys that much.

Enjoy!

-----------

Ever since he was betrayed by his grandfather Heihachi Mishima, Jin had always clung to the belief that his father Kazuya's blood was responsible for his sinister Devil Gene, while his mother Jun's Kazama blood allowed him to maintain some sort of suppression of such evil. Upon further research, he discovered that Jun possessed a power that acted as a counter-agent to the Devil power that would keep it in check. Not only that, the evil that existed within the Mishimas turned out to be far more extensive than some simple Devil Gene.

Jin had thoroughly believed that despite the evil on one side of his family, the other side would always be untainted with such corruption.

Such a belief, however, was quickly brought to a halt when he met his grandfather Ryoku Kazama: someone who was believed dead for decades only to suddenly return from beyond the grave and wreak havoc upon Jin and his comrades. His skill was beyond compare, and his strength was practically immeasurable: a living nightmare with an attitude to go along with it.

Just when it seemed that Ryoku would emerge victorious before the battle could truly begin, a new combatant entered the fray. It was none other than Heihachi, clothed in wrath and power as the latest Shinkenger, ShinkenLord. Jin didn't know why he had come to save him and his comrades, but Heihachi was quick to challenge Ryoku as the rest of the Shinkenger lay sprawled across the floor of the Mishima Mansion.

Ryoku's appearance had truly shaken Jin in more ways than one: he had begun to question the purity of the Kazama clan as well. _What if my mother was only an exception, _Jin thought while he watched Ryoku and Heihachi slowly circled the room, sizing each other up. _What if both sides of my family tree consist almost exclusively of fiends!?_

"You know, it's a wonder why we even bother fighting sometimes," Hwoarang said out loud as he got back onto his feet as Xiaoyu helped him up. "Every time we get in too deep, some newcomer always comes in and makes the save…"

"I've never really thought about it, Hwo," she replied while she ran over to get Steve back on his feet while Hwoarang went over to Kenichi. "Maybe fate just likes to smile on us whenever things get rough." After making sure Steve was OK, Xiaoyu turned to Asuka who had just stood back up and dusted herself off. "Hey, Asuka, what do you think of this guy?"

"I think he's a total nut," Asuka shouted back before walking over to Feng and assisting him in regaining proper footing. "And here I thought all the kooks came from the other side of the gene p-"Asuka quickly covered her mouth as she realized what she was saying. However, even though she did not complete that sentence, it was enough to get Jin's attention.

_What did she mean by that, and why did she suddenly become quiet about it? _Jin wondered, completely ignoring the battle between his grandfathers that was about to ensure and worrying more about Asuka's slip on the tongue. An instant later, Jin remembered what the maniac Jean Sorel had told him a week earlier in regards to Asuka.

"_Go ask your father: he will have all the answers."_

_No way, _Jin muttered in astonishment, his gaze continued to remain fixated on Asuka while she and the other Shinkengers came to his side. _It's not possible…_

-----

Heihachi and Ryoku finally stopped stalling and came at each other with violent intent. The two of them simultaneously shot out their fists and banged them against each other, causing blue and green sparks to fly from their hands as a result of such an impact. With their fists grinding against one another, Heihachi and Ryoku's free hands sprung to life and latched onto their opponent. Heihachi's hand was now clutching Ryoku's neck, while Ryoku's hand was latched onto his other arm.

"So what's it going to be, Heihachi," Ryoku said between grunts as Heihachi's grip on his throat tightened. "If you want to keep that arm, I suggest you let go of my neck." Ryoku gave Heihachi's arm a twist and elicited a grunt of pain from the elder Mishima. However, Heihachi was no stranger to being in such a predicament. Lifting his left leg, he placed his foot squarely on Ryoku's chest and kicked him away, forcing the both of them to relinquish their deathgrips on each other.

Ryoku crashed into a small table and crushed it accordingly as he landed on his buttocks. However, the lamp that was sitting on the table surprisingly remained unscathed, landing in the Aiki-jujitsu master's lap. Making use of the item, Ryoku tossed the lamp at Heihachi who swatted it away accordingly. However, that instant was the opening that Ryoku needed to gather his energy and toss a green blade of energy that shaved the floor and left a streak as it rushed towards Heihachi.

However, Heihachi didn't seem worried when he realized that it was coming at him too fast for him to get out of the way. Rather than prepare to counter-attack, he simply crossed his arms and waited for the blade to make contact. The blast collided with him and scattered, but Heihachi showed no signs of visible damage. "Do you now see the power of ShinkenLord, Ryoku?" Heihachi asked rhetorically as he suddenly appeared into front of Ryoku and sent him skyward with a quick uppercut: his Electric Wind Godfist. "If you wish to even hope to match me, you'll have to do better than that!"

Seeing no reason to end his assault with that, Heihachi let loose another Electric Wind Godfist that made contact in mid-air, and followed with a quick left hook concluding with a pair of palm thrusts that propelled Ryoku into the wall. The Aiki-jujitsu master quickly regained his footing and turned his head around to notice the crack he left in the wall before looking back at Heihachi, who was coming at him with his fist raised.

Springing into action without hesitation, Ryoku caught Heihachi's hand mere inches away from his chest, and then used it to fling Heihachi into the very same wall that he had crashed into. "Well, how about that, old buddy," Ryoku laughed while he grinded Heihachi's head into the wall before ramming him into it numerous times. "Has my game stepped up now?" After the fifth ram, Heihachi's head went into the wall and was shocked with the loose wiring within. The electricity surrounded his body as he vibrated violently, and then suddenly his body began to glow and shoot out the very electricity that was bombarding him. Ryoku couldn't believe his eyes: one moment he had his grip on him, and the next moment Heihachi suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

Ryoku wouldn't have to look far, as lightning emerged from the hole in the wall and attacked the madman as if it had a mind of its own. Seconds later, the dancing lightning took physical form to reveal Heihachi pummeling Ryoku with a rapid series of punches and kicks, concluding with a leaping Omen Thunder Godfist and sent Ryoku flying backwards. "What in the hell was that?" Ryoku flipped back onto his feet and caught his breath. "Do you mean to tell me that you can turn yourself into electricity?"

"That is but one of the abilities granted to me," Heihachi replied while he dusted himself off, his taiko crackling with power while he resumed his normal fighting stance. "The power of ShinkenLord is beyond all comprehension, perhaps even my own."

"That's not necessarily a good thing, Hei," Ryoku commented as he cracked his neck before resuming his own fighting stance. "If you're not aware of your own limits, you might get yourself into a mess that you can't find a way out of!" Tossing aside any doubts he might have had, Ryoku rushed towards Heihachi with that inhuman speed that he had utilized against the younger Shinkengers and rammed his shoulder into the karateka. The speed of such an attack caught even Heihachi off-guard, and he was left vulnerable to a devastating punch to the gut and a monstrous palm thrust to the face that sent his soaring backwards in a streak of green fire.

Heihachi landed on his feet and fired off a bolt of lightning from his palm as soon as he regained proper footing. The taiko on his back resumed crackling with electricity while it hummed ominously, as if acting as a generator for Heihachi's ki. The discharge bombarded Ryoku mercilessly, and Heihachi summoned bigger and greater bolts to attack his one-time friend. After shooting a bolt that caused Ryoku to fall on his knees, Heihachi ceased fire and ran towards Ryoku once again.

Ryoku was quick to recuperate, much to the dismay of Heihachi. The elite martial artist rose back up and simultaneously shot his hand upwards, knocking Heihachi off his feet and into the air. Ryoku continued the assault on his airborne foe with a leaping kick that propelled Heihachi further into the air, and used a spinning elbow strike to knock Heihachi away. "So much thunder and lightning so early in the draw, Heihachi," Ryoku shook his head in mock disappointment as he watched his opponent land on the floor and roll into a wall head-first. "I was hoping we'd save the fireworks until the coup de grace!"

"You know my policy, Ryoku," Heihachi shook off the dizziness that very briefly came over him and cracked his knuckles before once again resuming his stance. "I do not believe in holding back: if you're not going to fight with all of your strength, then don't fight at all!"

Ryoku let out a quick, singular chuckle before resuming his fighting stance and advance towards Heihachi. Heihachi spun his fist around in an attempt to strike Ryoku with a backhanded punch, but Ryoku ducked under the blow and spun around to clip Heihachi's ankle with a quick foot sweep. Using the momentum he created with his first sweep, Ryoku performed another to strike the ankle once again before rising back up and stomping Heihachi's head to the ground with a cartwheel kick.

"And here's a dirty trick straight from my playbook that got me a scolding from my father for fighting too violent," Ryoku narrated as he lifted Heihachi off the ground, grabbing him by his taiko. "You're up, Heihachi…" the Aiki-jujitsu master used all of his might to slam Heihachi head-first into the floor. "…and then you're down!"

Heihachi quickly stood back up to avoid being grabbed again, but Ryoku was prepared. His right leg suddenly shooting out, Ryoku clipped Heihachi's knee with a low kick, and then linked the kick into a backhanded punch, followed by a straight fist to the face and a standing roundhouse kick to the side of the head that caused Heihachi to take a few steps back.

"And now, old buddy," Ryoku's casual tone of voice suddenly dissipated as he grabbed onto Heihachi by the throat and lifted him in the air, "this is where I stop playing games and show you what the new-school Ryoku Kazama can do!"

Heihachi's eyes widened in astonishment as Ryoku's body suddenly burst into dark green flame while his eyes glowed an eerie jade color. The other Shinkengers watching the spectacle could hear the wind howling outside as if to herald the event of Ryoku's seemingly imminent victory. Heihachi's roared in agony as his own body began aglow with the green energy while Ryoku's white hair flowed in the wind to give him a ghostly aura.

However, Heihachi's own body started to crackle with lightning once again, and the sky outside became completely black as storm clouds appeared instanteously. The seven spectators turned around to watch the sky suddenly become alive with lightning and thunder while violent gales blew through the doorframe and bombard them. _Such a clash of titans, _Feng thought as he turned back to watch Ryoku smirk while Heihachi's taiko again sprung to life while the seven jewels on his chest flashed violently. _It is like a battle of old gods, attempting to settle a feud that began before the dawn of time!_

The lightning ripped through the roof of the Mishima Mansion and struck Heihachi's burning body as the elder karateka began to fight out of the death grip before Ryoku could burn him to a cinder. Even though he had the power of ShinkenLord to back up his already-immeasurable might, Heihachi was still a mortal and he did not know the full extent of how powerful Ryoku's resurrection had made him. _This is not the same man that I befriended in the days of our youth, _Heihachi told himself while he continued to pound on Ryoku's arm until the madman finally dropped him back down to the ground. _His soul has been corrupted by his premature death, and it has turned him into something as sinister as my son. Ryoku…just what have you become?_

"I've become my namesake, Heihachi," Ryoku answered his old friend's unspoken question as he watched Heihachi resume his fighting stance. "Why are you so surprised? Remember all the times we would arm-wrestle in high school?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Heihachi slowly circled the room while he watched Ryoku get into a ready position. "57 wins, 57 losses: and all of those losses were because of me, Heihachi Mishima!" The elder karateka cracked his neck while lightning from the hole in the roof struck his body once again. "And speaking of Mishimas, how about you tell me where I can find my son?"

"Hmph, since you've been such a good sport about it," Ryoku sighed before slowly walking towards Heihachi with his fists raised, setting the couch next to him on fire as he bumped into it slightly. "He's in the old Mishima laboratory just outside of where those guys took out my axe-wielding associate." Ryoku turned his head to take a look at the other Shinkengers, not entirely sure if they heard him. Turning back towards Heihachi, Ryoku assumed a proper fighting stance. "Now that I told you, let's finish this up: I'm getting tired."

Upon saying that, Ryoku dashed towards Heihachi with blinding speed and tossed him over his shoulder with a Vacuum Throw. He had planned on continuing the assault in mid-air, but Heihachi instead turned into a bolt of lightning and struck Ryoku violently before rematerializing and sending him flying with an Omen Thunder Godfist that left blue sparks in its wake.

However, Ryoku's burning body underwent a transformation of its own: a transformation into living green fire. The fire changed direction and went flying towards Heihachi, dancing around him as sparks came flying out of his suit. After forcing Heihachi to fall onto his knees to catch his breath, Ryoku once again took physical form to send Heihachi's sprawling backwards with a leaping reverse roundhouse kick: his powerful Siwasu kick.

Heihachi landed on his feet and narrowly avoid a slicing blast of ki, and countered with a lightning bolt with was swatted away by Ryoku. After they exchanged blasts, the two of them rushed at each other with renewed vigor, trading punches and kicks with precision and neither of them striking where they wanted as their opponent's limbs were always there to block and counter attack.

The two of finally made contact when their fists shot out simultaneously, punching each other in the chest. The force of such an attack caused the both of them to stand still for a moment, as if they were frozen in time. After a couple of seconds, they both roared in pain while clutching their chests. Clearly the effects of a blow to the heart had taken their toll on the two fighters, and they were still where they were when the match began: perfectly equal in power, speed, and stamina.

_I don't know how much longer I will be able to keep this up, _Heihachi thought as he coughed up some blood under his helmet and looked to Ryoku. _However, it looks like I'm not the only one who thinks that. _Ryoku was also coughing up blood as a result of the previous blow and the many, _many _others that he had traded with Heihachi. Someone was going to have to make an advance soon, or the fight would end in a stalemate.

Heihachi wasn't about to settle for a stalemate.

Taking a deep breath before letting out a battle cry, Heihachi rushed towards the staggering Ryoku and grabbed onto his neck. Lifting him off the ground, the elder karataka smirked beneath his helmet as he watched Ryoku try and break the grip. "It's no use, old friend," he said as he banged Ryoku's head against a nearby table, refusing to loosen his hold. "This is where the fight ends: I'm sure the youngsters over there want to get on with their lives and see this wrap up!"

"Don't hold back on our accounts, you old geezer," Hwoarang shouted to the combatants, eavesdropping on their conversation when they mentioned him and the other Shinkengers. "Kick his ass from here to Seoul!"

"That's exactly what I intend to do," Heihachi replied, seemingly not bothered by the Tae Kwan Do ace's snide remark while he tossed Ryoku high into the air with a single-handed vertical throw. As Ryoku made his way towards the ceiling, Heihachi's right leg began to burn dark blue as a brighter shade of electricity surrounded it. After Ryoku crashed into the ceiling, he plummeted back down to the floor…and right into Heihachi's jumping roundhouse kick: the completion of his relatively-recently devised Mangled Toy maneuver.

Ryoku flew into a couch and landed head-first on one of its legs. However, his burning had not died down: in fact, it looked as if it was burning stronger than over. "Not bad, Hei," he said as stomped out the fire that he had started on the couch before resuming a fighting stance. "But how about I show you my best grapple!?"

Rushing towards Heihachi with renewed vigor, Ryoku latched onto Heihachi and tossed him vertically as hard as he could. As Heihachi was allowed to experience the same journey that Ryoku had made to the ceiling, the Aiki-jujitsu master slowly rotated his arms while the aura that surrounded his body reached his peak as his eyes glowed fiercely. Once both his arms were vertically parallel to each other, he reared back and focused all of his gathered energy into his hands while Heihachi fell back down. However, the floor wouldn't be the first thing he'd come in contact with: instead Heihachi was blasted with a sudden burst of energy from Ryoku and sent crashing into the couch opposite of where Ryoku had landed.

Heihachi regained his footing and dusted himself off before watching Ryoku once again rear back in preparation for another slicing burst of ki. However, Heihachi raised an eyebrow when he noticed that when Ryoku let it go, it stayed in front of him rather than move towards his opponent. It didn't take long to realize what Ryoku was doing when the Kazama-ryu expert began pouring more energy into the stationary blade. _He's going to make it even more lethal than normal, _Heihachi thought as he entered his Raijin Stance and gathered what was left of his energy. _In that case, I'll just have to make sure my attacks show the same evolution._

The holes in the roof of the mansion allowed the lightning storm to come inside and strike Heihachi's body wildly. After three strikes, Heihachi's body was blanketed in a bright blue glow while the jewels on his chest burned bright orange. When Ryoku had finally decided his blade of energy was big enough (he estimated it to be three meters tall), he let it go free and rocket towards Heihachi while it ripped the hardwood floor.

Just when it would seem that Heihachi would be cut in half by the attack, he stomped his foot on the ground and unleashed the power in his left fist on the blade. To the astonishment of the other Shinkengers (who at this point had pretty much given up on interfering with the fight as it was obvious they were out of their element), Heihachi was successfully repelling the blast. However, what was even more astonishing was how Heihachi's other hand completely shattered the blast as if it were solid matter and fired off a lethal bolt of energy that struck Ryoku in the chest.

Ryoku didn't even have time to scream as energy most pure and untamed coarsed through his body and caused him to drop flat on the floor. After a few seconds of uncontrollable spasming, Ryoku moaned, "Damn…I lost…"

Heihachi took a deep breath as he turned to the younger Shinkenger team. Before he could say anything, however, he noticed that something was amiss. "Where is my grandson? I wished to speak to him."

The sextet turned around and noticed that Jin was gone, and so was the limousine that he had used to drive to the Mansion only minutes before. "He must have bolted during the fight," Kenichi hypothesized as he and the other Shinkengers finally powered down though their role in the fight was relatively minimal. "I wonder where he could have gone off to."

"Didn't you listen to either of our idle ramblings?" Ryoku said as everyone else in the room darted backward in surprise. The madman's aura slowly faded as he coughed up blood before continuing. "My grandson is going to face his father in the old Mishima Laboratory. You kids were probably too busy appreciating our fight while your leader actually listened to what I said and left you in the dust to settle his vendetta."

"So Kazuya was behind it all along," Kenichi's voice revealed a very slight hint of rage as he clenched his fist. "I should have known…"

"Well, you didn't, lover boy," Ryoku chuckled while his body began to once again dematerialize into green fire. "I'll see you kids next time!"

And with that, Ryoku teleported away in a puff of emerald flame…

"Well, now that he's gone," Xiaoyu said after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, "let's go help Jin! Heihachi-sempai, I don't mean to intrude but…" Before she could finish her request, Heihachi powered down and reached into his pocket to pull out his car keys, which he tossed to the young Chinese martial artist. "…oh thank you, Heihachi-sempai!"

"Just be sure you don't scratch the car: I'm going to let you kids handle this," the elder karateka replied while the remaining Shinkengers rushed outside and went into their respective vehicles. After hearing numerous revving sounds, Heihachi sat down on one of the charred couches and sighed. _Normally I would be more than happy to give my son his just desserts, _he thought as he looked up at the hole in the ceiling, _but it would be much more interesting to leave him to his own son's tender mercies._

_And besides…I need to figure out how to go about cleaning up this mess!_

-------

_I'm sorry everyone, _Jin thought as he continued driving on the freeway while he made his way towards the laboratory that Ryoku had mentioned. Even though he had never been there personally, the young man knew exactly what his grandfathers had been talking about. The laboratory he mentioned was the only one of its kind that was ever owned by the Zaibatsu.

The end of the madness that had gripped the city for the past several weeks was only a car ride away, and Jin intended to exploit it…albeit with ulterior motives in mind that would have been realized best without the help of the rest of the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger.

_I have to confront him alone…I have to know the truth!_


	28. Episode 27: Virus

I apologize for that delay: on a very unhappy Valentine's Day, I slipped on black ice and broke my shoulder, and I was on so many painkillers I couldn't think straight.

Well, I regained enough motor functions to be able to type with both hands, but I still need to keep this sling at least another week. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I typed most of it with only one hand. Here's a word of advice to my fellow writers: don't type with one hand because it's difficult to get a good flow going!

_-------_

_The time was drawing near…_

_For the past twenty five days, my son and I had been playing a dangerous game around the city. The pieces in play on my side were Astaroth, Ryoku, whatever lieutenant I would create on a given day, and the Lizard-man horde. My son's pieces consisted of the ever-expanding ranks of the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger: a colorful group of top-notch martial artists brought together to form a most formidable fighting unit._

_Even though they were often outnumbered and outclassed, the Shinkengers proved to be a most resourceful adversary, defeating every foe that came there way. Sometimes, third parties would enter the game and complicate it, often playing a key role in the outcome of the skirmish between the sides. Some of them, such as Miss Lucy Janairo, were but normal civilians who knew nothing of the game but interfered simply because of their concern for those unfortunate enough to be trapped between warring factions._

_Others, such as the meddlesome G-Corporation, were full aware of the war going on in this gargantuan city and took steps to exploit the confusion. However, even though the Shinkenger would defeat them, it would be I who would reap the rewards as I acquired their coveted ShinkenSlayer morpher. I used this morpher to increase my power a hundred fold and resurrect Ryoku Kazama, my lovely Jun's maniacal father._

_When Ryoku decided to attack the Shinkenger, he too met defeat, albeit narrowly at the hands of another interloper: my despicable father Heihachi. Using the omnipotent might of ShinkenLord, my father proved to be a more than a match for the immeasurable power of my "father-in-law," but not before Ryoku revealed the location of lair._

_This did not escape the ears of my son, Jin. As you already know, my history with my son is almost as twisted as my history with my own father. With the knowledge that I was the mastermind behind most of his misery for the past several weeks, including the near-death of his young friend Ling Xiaoyu, Jin left his comrades in the dust and rushed towards my lab._

_The other pieces had been taken out of play, and only the kings remained. The final battle that had been building up was about to begin…_

_-----_

_Sinful_.

The word echoed across Jin's mind as he entered the abandoned laboratory. Jin knew all about this building's sinful legacy. Before Jin was born, this place was a breeding ground for mutants and monsters, as animals of every shape and size were taken to be experimented upon mercilessly in the name of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Genetically-enhanced kangaroos and resurrected raptors were but some of the oddities birthed in this foundation of concrete and steel.

However, despite how sickening that may have sounded, that was all secondary to the young martial artist when lined up against the fact that it was this laboratory that brought about his mother's reason for entering the second King of Iron Fist Tournament. Back then, she was an accomplished officer of the wildlife protection organization known as the WWWC. The original plan was to simply put an end to the Zaibatsu's villainy.

Once she learned of the Zaibatsu leader Kazuya's Devil spirit, however, she made new plans that would turn the lives of everyone involved upside-down…including her own. The end result of her mission: pregnancy with Kazuya's son, Jin. The exact details of what when on between Jun Kazama and Kazuya Mishima had always been shrouded in mystery, and even though Jun chose to remain at Kazuya's side after the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin had always had his doubts.

_Today I'm going to have all my questions answered, _Jin strengthed his resolve as he continued weaving his way through the corridors of the laboratory. _I'm tired of turning the other cheek to that asshole: I'm going to make him tell what I want, even if I have to bleed it out of him!_

Turning left on pure instinct, Jin entered a large room riddled with electronic equipment. In the center of the room was a large operating table that piqued his interest enough for him to walk towards it for inspection. Once he was standing next to it, a copper-like scent entered his nostrils and caused him to back away slightly. The smell of blood was fresh: it had been used recently.

Upon further inspection, Jin noticed that the floor surrounding the table had a unique pentagram etched into it, forming a circle around the slab of metal. He didn't know for sure what the markings meant, but given the laboratory's reputation, he doubted it was anything good. _Well, at least I know I have the right place…so where are the tenants?_

"I am impressed that you have come this far…"

Jin bolted around in surprise at the sound of the familiar voice, and quickly clenched his fists once his eyes came into focus. Slowly walking through the door frame was a lean Japanese man wearing two red fingerless gloves, white karate pants with purple flames etched onto the legs, and a mysterious device strapped to his right wrist. His torso was left exposed to allow his toned but scarred body to be revealed in all of its glory. The pyramid-like dark gray hair was enough to identify him, but the man's unique left eye was what really caught Jin's attention: the iris was bright red, while the pupil was neon blue. _Another mutation, _Jin thought as he quickly assumed a fighting stance while his father walked towards him. _It's remarkable just how inhuman he looks, even though I've faced him numerous times in the past._

"Kazuya Mishima," Jin got out of his fighting stance and pointed an accusing finger at his father. "I should have known that you were behind all of this: where do you get off at, letting thousands of people suffer at random? Does it give you a sick feeling of pleasure, watching them squirm?"

"There is nothing amusing about innocent deaths, Jin," Kazuya's face was void of expression while he coldly answered Jin's question. "It might be an unfortunate necessity in the name of a greater good, but it certainly isn't amusing." The sinister martial artist calmly crossed his arms as he finally stopped walking and stood in place. "Now, why did you decide to come alone? Aren't you one who always advocated teamwork among your comrades?"

"They don't have the experience that I have involving your evil ways: I see no reason to get tangled up with you," Jin replied with equal cold as he lowered his arm. "Unfortunately, one member seems to have already done so."

Kazuya raised an eyebrow upon hearing such a response. "What do you mean by that: are you referring to the young Masamune and how his father used to be under my employ?"

"As a matter of fact, no." Jin took a deep breath prior to answering Kazuya. "I'm talking about my cousin, Asuka Kazama!" Letting out a battle cry, Jin unexpectedly sprung into action and attacked his father with a jumping Vacuum kick to his chest. The impact of such a stunt would topple anyone else, but Kazuya merely took a couple of steps backward and shrugged off the blow as easily as he would shrug off an accidental bump. As Jin landed, he received a sudden kick to the head that it forced him back onto his feet.

"Who told you about this supposed connection?" Kazuya said with a hint of rage before following with a quick punch and an impaling knee that caused Jin to cough up blood before falling to his knees. "Was it that fool Sorel? You really shouldn't take everything he says with face value."

"Nice try, asshole," Jin spat back as he rose back up with a quick uppercut that launched his father into the air. "That slimeball colleague of yours may be insane, but I know how his mind games work." Pressing onward with the assault with a quick pair of shuttle punches, Jin sent Kazuya crashing into a nearby wall. "Now tell me the truth, Kazuya! What is your connection to her?"

"Why should tell you, son," Kazuya again avoided the question as he got back onto his feet and dusted himself off. "Will it make you feel better if I do? Will it calm the storm that is brewing in your mind?"

"Shut up! How dare you preach to me after all you've done!" Jin's body began to crackle with power as his morpher reacted accordingly. "This time, there will be no escape: I'm going to finish what I started back in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, and leave you a bloody mess! There won't even be enough of you to put in a paper bag!" As he said, a bright red bubble of light encased his body while his morpher flashed violently. When the figurative bubble burst and the light faded, standing in Jin's place was the valiant defender of Tokyo, ShinkenRed.

"Remarkable indeed," Kazuya nodded his head in approval before putting his thumb to his mouth. "Since you have made a decision to not hold anything back…then neither shall I." Biting his thumb until he drew blood, Kazuya hunched down and dress the kanji "metsu" on the floor before punching the kanji with his fist. Almost an instant after his hand struck the ground, a familiar sight greeted Jin's eyes: several reptilian monsters popping out of the ground like targets in the whack-a-mole game he would frequent at the arcade after school. Unlike their predecessors, these Lizard-men were yellow in color and had spikes on their back that were as sharp as razors.

"These things again," Jin muttered as he clenched his fist. "Stop hiding behind your foot soldiers and fight me fair and square!" Quickly stepping to his right to dodge a Lizard-man that had the audacity and bloodlust to lunge at him, Jin punished the creature with a quick backhanded punch that was followed by a kick to its hip that sent it flying away.

Another Lizard-man snuck up behind Jin and bared its sharp claws before taking a swipe at the karateka's back, drawing forth sparks from the suit. Jin winced in pain as he turned around to kick the reptile in its snout before crouching down and letting his fist fly to send it screeching across the floor with a powerful Corpse Thrust. "In just four short hits, they fall like leaves." Jin hissed before turning to two more Lizard-men that were preparing to strike. "Go back to wherever you came from, or you'll be joining them!"

However, Jin had forgotten in the heat of battle that the Lizard-men had little to no understanding of the human language, and instead the leather-headed duo Jumped up into the air and curled up so that when they landed, they began rolling towards Jin like boulders. So bizarre was such a tactic that Jin was unable to anticipate their spines grinding against his suit like circular saws, eliciting a shout of pain and a shower of sparks before Jin was knocked off his feet.

Uncurling their bodies, the two Lizard-men watched Jin get back up and quickly pounced upon him, signaling the other Lizard-men to do the same. With reptilian savagery, they sank their claws and fangs into Jin, occasionally jumping back in surprise when sparks shot out of the suit as a result. However, they soon realized it was merely a prelude to the juicy meat that lay within the deceptively resilient spandex, and pounced back onto him and continued to engage in their frenzy.

_Stop it…stop it, _Jin muttered as he tried to shake off the horde that was trying to feast on his flesh. Finally gaining the wiggle room he needed, Jin's body burned with power as he tossed the Lizard-men away in a single, sudden burst of energy. "GET OFF OF ME!"

Jin's breath was haggard as he looked around at the Lizard-men sprawled across the room, and then slowly turned his head to Kazuya. Kazuya simply had his arms crossed, patiently waiting for the conflict to end. Pointing to his father as the Lizard-men flipped back onto their feet, Jin hissed one simple word:

"Watch..."

Blocking a horizontal swipe from one Lizard-man without even looking, Jin roared with fierce intensity as he swung around and grabbed the gnashing jaws of the reptile and began to push them apart as they tried to chomp down on his throat. With another shout, Jin used all his might to pull the two ends apart and rip the monster's jaws out. When he pulled this stunt a few weeks before, he became paralyzed with excitement and fear. This time around, there was no hesitation.

Jin looked at the two jaws for a moment, breathing heavily while the impact of what he had just done sank in. The past few weeks had given him a brutal edge that dared not let loose in front of the others. He was now at the metaphorical final lap, and the finish line would be just beyond these Lizard-men. Tossing the jaws down, Jin resumed his fighting stance as the other Lizard-men came at him.

Jin launched the first Lizard-man that came close enough to him into the air with a quick uppercut, and followed up with an aerial assault that consisted of a right hook, a left palm, and another powerful right thrust that sent the Lizard-man flying onto the operating table. Two more Lizard-men jumped up and again curled up into a ball in an attempt to down Jin with the same tactic that had been successful moments ago. "Be warned, monsters," Jin shouted to the oncoming Lizard-men, though he knew they didn't understand him now that he could think a bit more clearly. "I'm in a bad mood: come at me at your own risk!"

This time, Jin was prepared for the rolling attack, jumping over the first Lizard-man that came his way and kicking the second into the air like a soccer player would keep a ball afloat in the sky. "This is a little trick that I learned from Hwoarang," he stated to no in particular as he launched the Lizard-man high into the air and jumped up after it. "Have a taste of this!" Jin sent the creature crashing into the first rolling monster with an aerial kick that left red sparks in its wake, and landed gracefully on the ground and prepared for the next challenger.

The next Lizard-man ducked under Jin's standing roundhouse kick and countered with a headbutt to the chest that knocked Jin away. The karateka landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet just in time of avoid a high tail whip. With a quick shout, Jin sent the Lizard-man spiraling away with a quick Wind Hook Fist. Another Lizard-man tried to attack from behind, but Jin kicked it away before chasing after it and punching it in the throat while it was down.

The last trio of Lizard-men did not attack with their limbs: rather, their spines crackled with power before unleashing a fiery stream of death from their mouths. Surprised by such a technique, Jin was helpless to avoid the blasts from colliding with his body. With his screams of agony echoing throughout the room, Jin fell down on his knees as the force of the streams began to overwhelm him.

_What power, I had no idea the Lizard-man horde had this ability, _Jin thought as he struggled to regain his footing. _However, even this won't stop me! I won't rest until I've beaten him to the ground!_

Summoning all of his strength, Jin's body began to glow bright red as he stood back up and slowly proceeded to walk towards the Lizard-men despite the flames blowing against him. The pain was close to unbearable, but the screaming had stopped. Running out of breath, the Lizard-men's fire died down as they began wheezing for air. Unfortunately for them, Jin wasn't about to give them a time-out.

Changing speeds suddenly, Jin began running towards the reptiles with his fist raised, and plunged himself into the group. One Lizard-man bit him in the air, and it paid for it with a punch to the eye that crushed its optical nerves and brought forth a shrill cry of pain. Another reptilian warrior shot out its tail at Jin, but the karateka caught it and ripped it off, and the cries became louder as another one joined in. The final Lizard-man jumped into the air and kicked Jin in the chest with its clawed feet and scratched his armor with a spray of sparks. Jin didn't scream like his foes, but simply grabbed the leg that kicked him and ripped it off, causing that particular creature to join its comrades in their symphony of agony.

"You creatures seem to enjoy carnage and destruction," Jin shouted as he flipped away and focused his ki into his hands. "Why do you scream? Is it not as satisfying when you're not on the offensive!?" Rearing his hands back, crimson power swirled in his palms as he prepared to finish off his brief but bloody battle with the Lizard-men. "Feel the pain and suffering of everyone and everything you've destroyed! SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: **TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!**"

Unleashing his gathered energy in the form of a red streak of lightning, Jin blasted the remaining Lizard-men and turned their bodies to ash as he listened to their cries die down quickly. When it was all over, Jin put his hands down and took deep, haggard breaths once again before turning back to Kazuya. "If you're trying to wear me down, then you better summon more Lizard-men to hide behind!" The young martial artist resumed his fighting stance as Kazuya unfolded his arms. "There is no force on Earth that will keep me away from you!"

-------

However, Kazuya did not respond with words, but with a leaping kick that sent Jin sprawling across the room. After Jin landed on his back, Kazuya graced his son with words. "I see that you have become stronger since I last saw you: I am thoroughly impressed." Running towards Jin just as he was getting back up, Kazuya once again had his son fly through the air, only with a powerful leaping Thunder Godfist as his propulsion. "You have exceeded my expectations, and they have always been high."

"Don't patronize me, scumbag," Jin retorted as landed on his feet and ran towards his father with violent intent burning in his eyes. "I don't need your mocking encouragement to defeat you!" Launching his father into the air with a Thrust Godfist, Jin pummeled his father while he was dangling helpless in the air with a pair of straight punches, a standing roundhouse kick, and a Wind Hook Fist that had Kazuya spinning to the ground.

"Well, if you do intend on defeating me," Kazuya wiped the blood of his mouth and stood back up just in time to dodge Jin's kick, "I do hope you don't mean to do so with such feeble techniques." The elder warrior showed his son what a successful kick looked like by striking the side of his head with his foot before following with a punch to the chest, another kick to the head, and a powerful gut punch that sent Jin spiraling away in a similar manner that Kazuya had been knocked away only seconds earlier.

"Look at this," Kazuya stomped on the jewel embedded in Jin's chest and grinded his heel into it. "You're in Shinkenger mode and you're still no match for me: how very sad. Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said that you had exceeded my expectations…"

"SHUT UP!" Jin knocked Kazuya's foot away and attacked his father with renewed vigor, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks before concluding with a boot to the shin that caused his foe to kneel in pain. Taking advantage of the opening, Jin's fist lashed out at his father and sent his flying across the room. "You are the worst of the worst, Kazuya: the ultimate evil that has to be extinguished!"

"The ultimate evil, you say?" Kazuya said after he crashed into a wall before standing back up and rubbing where he had landed. "Do you think I am worthy of such a prestigious title when I have such competition in the form of your grandfathers, Bryan Fury, and Jean Sorel? How very flattering…"

"Heihachi and Sorel, despite being scumbags, are human: they at least make some sort of attempt to benefit society despite their evil ambition. You, on the other hand, are nothing but evil ambition!" Jin dashed towards Kazuya with inhuman speed and picked him up by his collar. "You were but a small child when the Devil spirit entered your body, but when redemption came your way when you were resurrected, you chose evil yet again! You are a disease to this planet, spreading like a virus and ruining the lives of everyone you're involved with!"

However, Kazuya showed no fear as Jin reared back his fist: in truth, he found Jin's speech amusing enough to wear a frightening smirk. "If you want to see the true monster, just take a look at your own blood-stained hand."

"What are you talking a-" Jin put his free hand in front of him and dropped Kazuya as he looked at it: it was no longer a gloved hand, but a black claw that was a grotesque imitation of a human hand. Recognizing the claw for what it was, Jin frantically looked at the rest of his suit: black markings had adorned his armor, just like they would adorn his flesh whenever he was about to transform.

"You didn't even notice that you were beginning to transform," Kazuya kicked Jin away with a roundhouse kick while his son's body began to drip with dark red energy. "You may curse me, but you have become just like me: a Devil inside and out. The transformation has become so common that you don't even notice it anymore."

"But how…why?"

"Your damnation has been slow, to be sure," Kazuya began pacing dramatically as he watched black wings slowly sprout from Jin's back. "You see, the reason I went after you back in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 was because I needed your half of the Devil Gene to complete my weakened power, but I have since abandoned such an ambition. The same holds true for you: if you acquire mine, you will have all the power to yourself.

"The monsters that you have been defeating all possess a minute amount of Devil power, as that is what powers them, and every time you defeat one, it increases your power that much."

"Then…that's why I started to transform when Xiaoyu was attacked by that damn whale," Jin muttered as he coughed up blood beneath his helmet. "But answer my question: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?"

"Because against G-Corporation, the Zaibatsu's warriors as they are now are still insufficient: toppling them would require the full power of the Devil Gene…and they still haven't picked you apart, the last time I checked." Kazuya stopped pacing as he gave his full attention to Jin, who had just now begun to sprout horns from the sides of his helmet which grew in a direction parallel to eyesight. "However, the main reason I am doing to you is because you couldn't mind your own business, and I intend to make you pay!"

Charging his ki, Kazuya's left eye glowed both red and blue while purple electricity crackled across his body and flowed into his morpher until it radiated a dark red and uttered in a feminine robotic voice, "Standing by..." Putting his mouth to his morpher, Kazuya whispered softly, "Henshin."

With that simple command, Kazuya's body was enveloped in dark red power that completely swallowed up his body momentarily. Jin struggled to get back onto his feet and tried to attack him, but he was sent flying backwards with a standing roundhouse kick as the energy dissipated to reveal Kazuya's new appearance: the fearsome Disciple of Despair, ShinkenSlayer. As Kazuya cracked his neck in anticipation, Jin howled in unbearable pain as bristly black hair grew out of the sides of his arms as if his suit and skin had fused. "Now come forth, fearsome soul taker: come forth, OniShinkenRed!"

_It's a pity it had to come down to this, _Kazuya mused as Jin stood back up and let out a primal scream. _You would have made a fine associate had things worked out differently…_


	29. Episode 28: Destiny or Deadly

I know how some of you guys wanted a full-on Jin vs Kazuya, but there's been one underlying theme in all of this fic, and I wasn't about to violate it. I'll let you figure out what that underlying theme is as you read on.

_-----_

_So it's finally begun, _Ryoku mumbled to himself as he approached the old Mishima laboratory. The Aikido master was slightly worn out from using his new teleportation technique, to say nothing of the strenuous battle he had with his old rival Heihachi Mishima nearly an hour ago. However, he still had enough juice left for his technique to take him all the way to within two miles of the laboratory, which he casually walked in order to help pace himself.

Somehow, he made it to the laboratory before the other Shinkengers did, which was something he found a little bit laughable considering he walked on foot while they had vehicles to ride in. _I guess traffic held them up a bit, _Ryoku reasoned as he walked to his destination. However, it wasn't nearly as amusing as the battle between father and son he could feel brewing as he watched the laboratory over a hill that was near its location.

His ambitious "son-in-law" had finally come face-to-face with his own son, and it promised to be anything but a happy reunion. He could feel the evil energy steaming from the two fighters even though he was a good forty meters away from the entrance of the laboratory. _I've been curious to see what it's like when Devils fight, especially when one of them happens to have Kazama blood._

"Father…"

Ryoku turned his head slightly at the familiar voice to see an equally familiar sight: a stunningly beautiful Japanese woman with short black hair held together with a white hairband wearing a white trenchcoat, a golden strapless dress, dark sunglasses and black slippers. "Huh…I didn't expect to see you," Ryoku said out loud as he sat down while Jun looked onward to the lab. "What brings you all the way out here?"

"It's begun, hasn't it?" Jun lowered her head slightly, as if she were shying away from such a dramatic event. "Kazuya and our son are locked in combat." To Ryoku's surprise, Jun continued walking forward. "I have to put a stop to this…"

"You will do no such thing," Ryoku said as he stood back up and put a hand in front of his daughter. "I want to see how this will turn out, and I'm not going to let you spoil my fun."

"There can only be one turn-out: more needless hatred and violence," Jun argued, although there was not a hint of aggression in her voice. "I do not wish to see either of their lives fueled by this any-UGH!" Suddenly, Ryoku's ki-infused fist came crashing into Jun's solar plexus. So surprising and intense was the blow that her sunglasses flew off to reveal her shock eyes as the wind was knocked out of her.

"Sorry, kid," Ryoku said as he let Jun fall to the grass-covered ground to black out, "but I'm not about to give up on my ambitions just because you don't want to see your man-toy and illegitimate spawn roughhouse a little bit." The Aikido master turned his head west to see a motorcycle and a navy blue Rolls-Royce pull up at the laboratory. The other Shinkengers had arrived. _However, it would be interesting to see how my grandson's comrades will fair trying to break the roughhousing up: Jin might be so far gone, they might have to side with Kazuya just to calm him down!_

---------

The cycle of hatred between fathers and sons within the Mishima clan had long been an indomitable juggernaut that showed no signs of slowing down. Jinpachi Mishima, Kazuya's grandfather, had tried to stop it in the name of peace, while Kazuya's father Heihachi had recently taken steps to stop it in the name of honor. Kazuya himself, on the other hand, embraced the cycle of hatred and used it to fuel his inhuman fury…

…an inhuman fury that had just now possessed his own son Jin and turned him into a full-blooded Devil. _I will not try and stop what cannot be stopped, _Kazuya thought as he watched Jin assume what appeared to be a pale resemblance of his usually fighting stance. _This battle was destined the instant he was born, and destiny is something that cannot be trifled with!_

"My body is ruined," Jin said with a voice full of rage and fear as he lashed out at his father with a swipe of his dark claws. "Look what you've done to me: your own flesh and blood!" Kazuya barely had time to bend over backwards to avoid the blow, but he couldn't stop the standing roundhouse kick that sent him spiraling to the ground. "I'll make you bleed until you beg for forgiveness!"

"Let's get one thing straight, son," Kazuya growled as he lifted his index finger while it crackled with dark purple energy. "I'm capable of a lot of things, but I will _never_ beg, lest of all to you!" The finger's power peaked and fired off a thin beam of ki that struck Jin in the chest and pushed him all the way to the other side of the room. "I wasn't even using half my power with that attack: I could have punched a hole through had I been trying."

Using his wings to propel himself back towards Kazuya, Jin latched onto his father's throat as he came into contact with him and continued flying forwards with Kazuya being dragged along with him. The flight continued until he reached the other side of the room, at which point Jin lifted Kazuya up and slammed him into the wall. With his fist dripping with power, Jin punched Kazuya further into the wall as it cracked and revealed another room.

Kazuya returned the favor by grabbing onto his son's throat and strangling him as he got back onto his feet. Lifting Jin off the ground by his neck, Kazuya's leg shot out and kicked Jin in the hip numerous times, all while still holding him in the air. After the fifth kick, Kazuya's tossed him completely through the cracked wall and into the neighboring room.

Jin dusted himself off and took a moment to examine the room: there was an operating table like the room before it, but next to the operating table was a monstrous device full of appendages tipped with knives and scalpels. Even more disturbing was that the table and the blades were still coated with blood. The sight of the blood reacted to Jin's fractured psyche accordingly and caused him to jump backwards, right into Kazuya.

"I suppose it's a good thing that you have finally learned to retain your own state of consciousness while being transformed," Kazuya mused as he sent his son airborne with an Electric Wind Godfist, "because I doubt I'd be getting such a delicious reaction to the horrors of this room if I were dealing with your darker half." Not finished with his assault, Kazuya continued pummeling his son while he dangled in mid-air with a snapping kick, a quick jab, and an impaling knee before sending him spiraling away with a standing roundhouse kick.

"You wouldn't be getting any more or less mercy if I did let him out," Jin spat back after landing on his hands to spin back onto his feet. Ducking under Kazuya's spinning backhanded punch, Jin pumped his fist and launched his father into the air with a quick uppercut that left red sparks in its wake: the signature effect of his Thrust Godfist. Returning the favor done to him seconds before, Jin continued the assault in mid-air with a right hook, a left palm thrust, a powerful straight, and a cartwheel kick that propelled Kazuya into the ground with Jin's foot landing on his chest.

Jin grinded his heel into the dark red jewel on Kazuya's chest as he kneeled down so that he was face-to-face with his father (although the helmets they wore prevented him from seeing his father's literal face). "How does it feel to be on the other end of this kind of torture, father?" Jin hissed before lifting his foot off the ground to soar high into the air. "How does it feel to be attacked by someone who won't let up or back down?" Once he felt that he had flown high enough, Jin's wings took him into a nosedive while his right hand glowed with power in preparation for his High Pounce.

However, the brief interval between the preparation and execution of such a maneuver was all the time Kazuya needed to recuperate and roll away just in time to avoid being impaled by his son's claws. The sinister karateka received an added bonus when he realized Jin's hand punched a hole through the floor and had become stuck in it. With his body crackling with dark power, Kazuya crouched down and began spinning like a top towards Jin. Once he was in range, Kazuya knocked Jin loose by sending him flying away with a Lightning Screw Godfist.

However, it would take far more than that to stop an enraged Jin Kazama with a fully powered Devil Gene. Using his wings to right himself in mid-air, Jin's flight changed direction and instead came rocketing towards Kazuya, snatching him off the ground like a hawk would snatch its prey. With his father in his grasp, Jin flew upwards until he hit the ceiling and then swooped back down to smash Kazuya's head into the floor while he landed gracefully a few meters away.

Kazuya flipped back onto his feet and instinctively turned around with a spinning backhanded punch that struck the advancing Jin in the neck. With the intention of taking the element of surprise to his advantage, Kazuya spun around again and crouched down for another Spinning Backfist that knocked Jin off his feet, and then spun around for a third and final time to send his foe spiraling away with a standing roundhouse kick. Kazuya took the opportunity to blast Jin with a few rapid bolts of energy from his finger before letting his son fall to the ground.

Jin landed flat on his back, but quickly spun back onto his feet to swat away another volley of blasts and countered with one of his own: a rapid series of bursts eminating from his hand. Kazuya was able to dodge some of them, but once Jin hit his mark, the frequency of how many times he connected became greater as Jin eventually pinned Kazuya down.

_I'm doing it, _Jin thought as he watched his father try and get back up, _I'm actually winning! There will no escape this time!_

"I hope you're not considering this battle won," Kazuya said suddenly as if to give respond to Jin's thoughts, which shocked the young man enough to ease his barrage and give Kazuya another opening. "It will take much more than that to defeat me!" Standing back up and throwing arms up into a blocking position, Kazuya began running towards Jin despite the hail of blasts raining down on his body. Ramming Jin with all of his might, Kazuya knocked his son over and grinded the heel of his boot into his neck.

What he didn't expect, however, were Jin's wings folding so that its razor-sharp feathers could slice at his boot, causing him to release his hold on his on. Jin stood back up and roared as the ruby that sat just above his visor glowed fiercely before firing off a ray of crimson power that took Kazuya off guard and blasted against his body like a fireman's hose, pushing him far into the darkest reaches of the room.

Jin's wings once again began flapping wildly, kicking up strong winds as they beat against the musty air. However, Jin wasn't attempting to blow Kazuya away: shooting out of his wings like lethal darts were the same razor-sharp feathers that slashed his ankle. He couldn't see Kazuya due to the corner he landed in and the poor lighting, but Jin didn't need to see him: he could feel the evil that radiated from the ShinkenSlayer armor.

Jin smirked beneath his helmet as he watched sparks shoot out from Kazuya's armor with every feather that struck it, lighting the darkened corner for an instant before it became dark, waiting for another hit. After Jin stopped beating his wings, he ran towards where he had been aiming with his claws raised.

Unfortunately, he became so engrossed with attacking that he forgot about how dark the corner was and tripped on a wire. Struggling to maintain balance, Jin flapped his arms wildly before Kazuya came out of the dark corner and kicked him into the wall. With a rare hint of humor, Kazuya said, "Ole," before pulling Jin's head out of the wall and sending him flying with a leaping Thunder Godfist.

Jin once again used his wings to right himself in mid-air, only this time he didn't come back down immediately. Instead he focused his dark red energy into his hands and locked his wrists together. With a mighty shout, Jin shot out his palms simultaneously to fire off a dark red ball of ki that left a streak of lightning in its wake. "SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: **TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"**

Kazuya watched the blast come at him with rapid speed, but he showed no signs of panic underneath his helmet, but instead opened up his arms as if to welcome the blast with open arms. Like a child running into his mother's arms, the blast came into contact with Kazuya while the elder martial artist embraced the blast. Kazuya used all of his power to keep the blast from advancing further, and then threw it back at Jin as if it were his own.

Such a technique took Jin off-guard, leaving him helpless to stop Kazuya from turning his own power against him. Jin was knocked from the sky and fell to the floor headfirst. It would take a lot more to defeat him than just that, and Kazuya knew that full well. Running towards Jin at blinding speed, Kazuya picked up Jin by the neck and carried him over to the operating table. _Maybe a little mental warfare is in order, _he thought as he strapped him to the table. _These clamps are made out of something harder than titanium: I doubt even he will be able to break through._

"What are you doing?" Jin screamed as he struggled to break free. "Get me off this thing!"

"I think not, son," Kazuya said casually as he picked up a small circular saw from a nearby table. "I think I'm going to do some more damage: I understand that Sorel once cut off your wings by using a sawing motion, and I'm interested to see if your reaction will be the same if I did it again."

"That is just sick and wrong, asshole!"

Kazuya turned around at the sound of the unexpected voice and was blasted with numerous bolts of energy. Jin lifted his head as high as he could and saw the rest of his fellow Shinkenger in the doorway, armed and ready for battle. However, what they received from him was not thanks or greeting, but a red blast of energy from his forehead as the buckles across his body exploded in a flash of light.

"Get away, everyone! This is my fight and don't interfere!"

However, the time he took to say that was all the time Kazuya needed to cut at Jin's armor with not a circular saw, but with a glowing finger that melted its way through the armor like a knife through hot butter. Jin howled in pain as his chest felt the heat that was being given off by his suit. If not for the other Shinkengers suddenly tackling Kazuya all at once, he would have cooked alive.

"Keep him occupied, guys," Asuka shouted as she got off of the dogpile and ran to Jin. "I'm going to make sure Jin is OK!"

--------

"Asuka," Jin said between breaths while his body once again dripped with dark power, "you have to get out of here now! This is something between me and him!"

"In case you haven't noticed, this battle has been between him and all of us these past few weeks," Asuka retorted as she kneeled down to Jin's level, which was down on one knee. "Aren't you always the one who said that we need to do everything as a team if we want to survive!?"

"This is different, Asuka: you don't know him like I do!" Jin lifted his clawed hand and frantically shoved it in his cousin's face. "Look at what he did to me! My hands are claws, I have giant black razor sharp wings, and I have goddamn HORSE HAIR sprouting out of my arms!" Taking his hand away so that both his hands could point at his head, Jin continued. "And look at me! I have horns growing out of my head! Do you think I enjoy being like this, Asuka? If this happened to you, wouldn't you want to deal with the scumbag personally!? You don't know how I feel!"

Asuka bit her lip beneath her helmet when she heard that and lowered her head, almost in shame. "Actually Jin…I know exactly how you feel…"

"…what do you mean?"

"During the last King of Iron Fist Tournament, our mutual slimeball Jean Sorel attacked Kenichi and me, and then he used some weird voodoo spell to turn me into a bloodthirsty freak. I almost killed Kenichi with my own two hands, and if it weren't for Yoshimitsu coming to help, I probably would've."

Asuka lifted her head back up and grabbed onto Jin's shoulders. "Do you want to know the moral of that story? My friends and loved ones were there to help me. Kenichi and I are closer than ever thanks to what happened, and it's because we realize the strength of our unity!"

Suddenly, Jin felt a warm, comforting feeling enter his heart. The bristly hair on his arms dissipating in a purple haze, and the maroon color of his suit brightened back to its normal bright red. _She's right: if I let myself go loose, I'll be no better than Kazuya. I might even become worse: Kazuya never stood for anything!_

_But I still don't know her connection to Kazuya, and I'm going to have to find out myself and confirm if it means what I think it means considering Sorel's power…but this time, it'll be as it should be: as a team!_

"Come on, Jin," Asuka gave Jin a pat on the back as the claws and horns disappeared on his body, leaving only his black wings to furl back up into his back and vanish from view. "Let's show that asshole what a real Kazama can do!"

-----

"What a disgrace," Kazuya grimaced underneath his helmet as he tossed Kenichi into the small pile of groaning bodies he had created. "None of you incests are worthy of calling yourself my enemy!" Charging his energy into both of his hands, Kazuya shot out his palms and blew the other Shinkengers away into the new room like tumbleweeds. Watching them slowly crawl back onto their feet, Kazuya's glowing finger pointed skyward, and a crackling dark purple ball of power emerged from the tip of his finger like a balloon inflated by helium. "Prepare to be exterminated like the vermin you are!"

However, before he could hurl the ball at his opponents, Jin and Asuka came up from behind and brought him to his knees with a pair of kicks to the spine. Running over to their comrades, the two Kazamas helped them up and prepared for battle. "After all the lectures you gave me about leaving the team in the dust against Astaroth," Hwoarang said between breaths as he dusted himself off, "you up and do exactly that!"

"Jin, you have to remember we're not just you're comrades: we're your friends." Xiaoyu added as she walked up to Jin and gave him a quick embrace. "If there's something bothering you, don't be afraid to share it with the group!"

"We've come a long way together, mate," Steve walked up next to Jin and nodded his head in approval. "Before all of you guys were mere acquaintances: faces that I occasionally spoke to during the tournament. Thanks to you, I've made friends that I can gladly entrust my life to." Steve gave Jin a pat on the back after Xiaoyu released the red-clad karateka. "I'm glad to see you're not a bloody hypocrite."

"Enough talk," Feng butted in and assumed a fighting stance. "This is final villain, and we must all of our teamwork to defeat him." With his hands glowing orange while all three jewels on his chest hummed with power, Feng ran towards Kazuya with murderous rage. "Let's do it!"

Slightly groggy from being in such an extensive battle, Kazuya lifted his finger and shot another volley of dark purple energy bolts at the Kempo master, but not even the stings of the bolts could stop his fury as sparks flew out from wherever the bolts struck while Feng continued onwards without slowing down in the slightest. Once he was in range, Feng reared his hand back and struck Kazuya's chest with his palm. "Behold: my Hand of Judg-"

Kazuya interrupted Feng by grabbing onto his wrist and slowly removing the glowing palm and kicking him away with a boot to the stomach. Kazuya looked at his chest to assess the damage: there was a mark left, to be sure, but nothing to be concerned about. However, when Kazuya prepared to continue his assault on the bronze-clad warrior, Feng stood back up and outstretched his arms to allow Kenichi to propel himself off his shoulders and take to the air with his katana raised high.

"What an idiot," Kazuya mumbled as he raised his hand to catch Kenichi's blade. "I thought you were smarter than that, Masamune: a mere blade cannot harm me." However, Kenichi pushed the hilt of the katana upwards and the blade ran up Kazuya's palm, cutting it and forcing him to let go. Putting his katana back in its sheath, Kenichi lashed out at the surprised Kazuya with numerous hand chops to the neck and torso. At first the blows were blunt, but Kenichi's hands shone with white light and became as sharp as the katana he wielded. Sparks flew out of Kazuya's suit as the slashes continued to rain down upon him. When Kazuya finally began to notice enough of a pattern to block, Kenichi flipped over his head and kicked him in the back…

…sending him to Steve, who shot out his fists and began to pummel Kazuya's stomach with a rapid series of gut punches. The fists chipped away at his abdomen with such force and speed that Kazuya was helpless to stop it. All he could do was grunt in pain while the fists became so fast it was like they weren't moving it all. After a few seconds, Steve concluded the flurry with a powerful uppercut that knocked Kazuya into Hwoarang's way.

Hwoarang caught Kazuya with his foot and started to juggle the experienced martial artist in the air like a child with juggle a soccer ball by bouncing him off his knees. After he became tired, Hwoarang used his knee to launch Kazuya straight up into the air and jumped up after him to kick the karateka in Xiaoyu's direction.

"This is for everyone you've hurt, you bully," Xiaoyu exclaimed as she shot out both her palms simultaneously to knock Kazuya towards Asuka. "Asuka-chan, heads up!"

"All over it, Xiao," Asuka nodded as her leg began to glow with pink energy. "Show's over, asshat: time for your curtain call!" With all of her power into the said leg, Asuka knocked Kazuya away yet again with a leaping Siwasu kick…

…right into Jin, who had been channeling his own power into his left fist, waiting for the opportunity to unleash his most devastating physical attack. With his punch flying true, Jin hit Kazuya with enough force to shatter a titanium block with ease, sending his father careening away with his Eighth Gate of Hell. Kazuya smashed through many walls and entered many rooms on his journey that was propelled by that attack, and when he finally landed, he was six rooms away from the group.

_What a monstrous blow, _Kazuya thought to himself as he willed his body into motion and stood back up. _Clearly I underestimated the strength of their comradeship…I don't think that I'll be able to emerge victorious and have enough left of this building to consider it a victory. _However, as soon as he was back on his feet, Jin was already there to pin his neck on the wall with his foot. _Damn…looks like I've just been checkmated. _

"I've won," Jin began as he bent over to get his face closer to Kazuya's, whose face had just become visible again as his ShinkenSlayer disappeared in a burst of purple energy, "so I think it's high time that you answered my first question that I asked when I got here."

"You are the victor, my son," Kazuya replied with a hiss. "I am at your mercy, and I doubt anything I say will make you hate me more than you already do."

"I spoke to Asuka a moment ago, and she told me that during the last tournament, Sorel attacked her and turned her into a monster, and judging from all the rumors going around it probably has something to do with you." Jin's voice became eerily quiet as he leaned over further, pushing the heel of his boot further into Kazuya's neck. "Sorel's powers seem to have a lot to do with the Devil Gene, so I must ask you this: how is it that Asuka has that power? Did you and your cronies at G-Corp experiment on her and then wiped her memory of it, or is it something more?"

Kazuya let out a low, dark chuckle as he listened to Jin's rather extensive question, "I believe the real question you are asking me is…'What is _your_ connection to young Asuka Kazama?' To be perfectly frank," the smirk faded as Jin loosened the grip on his neck, "I think you already know…"

Suddenly, the wall that Kazuya was being pinned to exploded unexpectedly, causing both Jin and his father to go flying backwards (forwards in Kazuya's case). Quickly dismounting each other, Kazuya and Jin stood back up to see what happened, and saw a familiar sight: Ryoku Kazama, burning with his dark green ki and the wind howling outside. "Sorry I had to break up that touching father-son moment," Ryoku said with a sneer as he grabbed the two men by the throats and tossed them outside, "but I just couldn't wait any longer: I wanted some action!" Ryoku turned back around to the hole in the building to see the other Shinkengers coming at him, and tossed them outside, as well.

"What is the meaning of this, Ryoku?" Kazuya clenched his teeth as he struggled to get back up. "Am I to believe that you have betrayed me? Why would you do that: I thought we saw eye-to-eye…"

"And that's EXACTLY why I'm giving you the cold shoulder, dearest in-law," Ryoku replied while he watched Kazuya and the Shinkengers get back on their feet. "You see, I have really big plans, and the Mishima Zaibatsu is going to help me realize that dream. Therefore, I'm going to take out you and your children out of the picture." His ki swirling ominously in his hands, Ryoku raised his arms into the air. "After I do that, it'll jut be a simple matter of taking down Heihachi and filling out the right paperwork!"

Throwing his hands down at inhuman speed, the ground beneath him erupted in an explosion of green energy that was so forceful that it knocked the Shinkengers out of their suits and sent everyone around him flying in different directions. Ryoku let out a deep, manly laugh as he admired his handiwork. "Now let's see," he said as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation while listening to the groans of eight different martial artists. "Who should I crush first?

However, Ryoku's thoughts on such a violent act were interrupted upon hearing footsteps on the dusty ground. Turning around to see whose footsteps they were, and an eyebrow at who he saw: it was none other than Jun, his daughter who left unconscious just minutes prior. "Daughter dearest…just what are you doing here?"

"I have come to put an end to this father," Jun replied coolly while she removed her sunglasses and put them in her trenchcoat. "When this began, I dreamed of us being a family again. However, I now what a fool I've been, and how your being here is nothing but trouble. I will do whatever it takes to stop you…even if it costs me my life!"

"Are you sure you can?" Ryoku laughed before assuming a fighting stance. "All you do is follow around others, like sheep! However, maybe if you try with all your might…you just might be able to take me down!"


	30. Episode 29: To the Tenth Power

Well, my sling is finally off, which makes writing that much easier. Now I just need to get back in the loop in classes and I'm set! Enjoy this chapter as much I did!

_-----_

_What an interesting turn of events, _Kazuya thought to himself as he dusted off his bruised body and took a glimpse at the situation unfolding before his eyes. Seconds ago, he was betrayed by his malicious ally Ryoku after suffering a decisive defeat at the hands of his son Jin. Ryoku's might was overpowering, and Kazuya was certain he would have been slain in an instant if not for Jun's timely intervention. _It would seem that I am not the only one with a vendetta against his father…or in Jun's case, **her** father._

"So this is how it's going to be," Kazuya heard Ryoku say as the behemoth cracked his neck in violent anticipation as he watched Jun assume a fighting stance. "You were always the quiet one in the family, Jun. Even when you were just a small fry, you always avoided exchanging fisticuffs, but you always knew full well you could take them on with my training. What's with the change of heart?"

"Unnecessary combat is something that I prefer to avoid, father," Jun answered softly, her voice returning to its normal tone of eerie calm. "However, the actions that I am about to do are anything but unnecessary: your malicious intent is too intense, and I must put an end to it before it does greater harm."

"Strange words for a supposed advocate of peace," Ryoku raised an eyebrow after hearing Jun's response. "I have humiliated you twice now, and just a moment ago I was ready to turn your son into a bloody paste with my bare hands. Surely you must have a just a little bit more to say to me than just that I'm playing a little too rough." However, Ryoku's confidence dwindled slightly when he noticed the left sleeve of Jun's trenchcoat pull back to reveal a platinum device strapped to her wrist with the kanji "Tekken" etched in gold. "Oh wait…you must be joking."

"This is no joke, father," the wind blew in Jun's face while her body slowly but surely became enveloped in a golden aura that steadily increased in intensity. "I did not come unprepared: I said that I intended to put a stop to the madness, and that is exactly what I'll do." The golden aura became so intense, that her body became too bright for eyesight, like a second sun was standing in front of Ryoku and not a mortal woman. Ryoku and Kazuya shielded their eyes as the light entered their eyes, wondering what new form Jun would assume with the morpher that had given the both of them so much trouble.

When the light faded, the Jun they knew had vanished, and standing in her place was a stunning combination of gold and platinum. Her slim torso was adorned with body armor that shone like a prism, giving off a rainbow-like glow that was shared by gloves and boots of the same platinum shine. In the center of the body armor was a single emerald that glowed softly, and just under the body armor was a silver belt bound together with a platinum belt buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken," while under the belt was a golden skirt with a silver trim. The rest of her body was coated in the same gold hue as the skirt, while Jun's face (in fact, her entire head) was masked with a gold helmet with only a black visor allowing for eyesight.

And on each side of the helmet was a platinum mathematical symbol "pi." "You have got to be kidding me," Ryoku let loose a mocking laughter as he noticed the symbol on Jun's helmet. "Did you run out of numbers when you got that thing, so you had to use something as obscure as the number pi?"

"Hey Kazuya, take notes," Ryoku shouted past Jun and to Kazuya, who had made himself comfortable by sitting down on a nearby rock. "I'm going to tear your ShinkenSlayer suit apart just like I'm about to tear apart my daughter's outfit!"

"You'd be wise not to underestimate her, Ryoku," Kazuya shouted back with a smirk. "Jun is far more cunning than either of us gives her credit for." Listening to the groaning of the seven young martial artists that lay strewn around him, Kazuya continued. "I suggest you find a way to defeat her fast, or the rest of your victims might come to and tip the scales."

--------

Spitting on the ground before making his move, Ryoku rushed at Jun with wicked intent burning in his eyes. Raising his fist once he felt he was close enough, he threw a punch at his daughter, but when his arm became fully extended she was no longer there. It was as if she vanished in an instant. _What in the hell? _Ryoku mumbled as he turned his head from side to side in an attempt to locate his quarry. _Teleportation ability isn't unheard of, but I should have at least seen some sort of sign that she was going to vanish._

"Father…"

Ryoku darted around just in time to receive a leaping Siwasu kick to his jaw that sent him spiraling away. Landing on his hand just as he was about to hit the ground, Ryoku stopped the spinning momentum to plant his feet safely on the ground and resume his fighting stance. When he did so, however, Jun was already standing behind him. This time, the martial arts master didn't have to turn around and stop the glowing palm that collided with his spin and sent him flying forwards to land flat on his face.

"Interesting indeed," Ryoku said out loud as he got back onto his feet and dusted himself off. "It's not teleportation that you gained, but rather pure speed." The wind around Ryoku began to pick up speed as his body started to drip with dark green power like liquid fire. "I guess I don't have to worry about holding back for you, either!" With his eyes glowing bright green and his white hair blowing in the strong gusts, Ryoku snatched Jun off the ground with inhuman speed and tossed her high into the air. Before she could fall back down to the ground, Ryoku sent her sprawling with a sudden blast of energy.

Jun landed on her head with a sickening thud, but quickly regained proper footing and narrowly avoided a devastating palm thrust to her chest. Grabbing the still-extended arm, Jun jumped up into the air and curled her legs around the arm to bring Ryoku down to the ground and into an arm lock. Pulling as hard as she could, Jun caused hyperextension and forced out a shout of pain from her father. However, Ryoku's physical prowess allowed him to lift his arm back up, and Jun along with it.

Ryoku fell right back down to the ground and landed on his back, taking Jun down with him. Flailing his captured arm wildly, Ryoku slammed Jun into the dirt again and again like he was throwing a temper tantrum. However, Jun refused to let go and continued to pull on the arm. After the fifth slam, Ryoku felt his arm become free again and quickly flipped back onto his feet so that he could attack his daughter while she was still on the ground. To his surprise, she wasn't there: in fact, it was as if she disappeared again.

Ryoku wouldn't have to wait long to find her again, turning around just in time to avoid a standing roundhouse kick that would have definitely sent him flying backwards. "Almost had me that time, kid," the behemoth warrior said before his fist finally made contact with Jun's chest. "You've been practicing these past couple of days: I've taught you well."

With his daughter temporarily stunned by the blow, Ryoku pressed onwards with a low kick to her shin, followed by a backhanded knuckle, a straight punch, and a lunging kick that knocked her away like a thistle in the wind. Utilizing his own otherworldly agility, Ryoku chased after her and succeeded in snatching her out of the air by her neck only to toss her right back down into the ground. Ryoku was about to stomp on her back, but Jun rolled away just in time to spring her feet back up right into her father's jaw.

This time, it would be Jun's hands that glowed with power while her father was the one reeling back. With her golden aura brighter than a star, Jun shot out her open palm and blasted Ryoku with a sudden burst of ki as her hand collided with his stomach: the mark of their Inner Strength technique. Ryoku could taste his own blood in his mouth as his daughter followed up with a snapping jump kick that knocked him in the air before she sent him flying away with a swiping elbow.

Ryoku landed on his hands and flipped onto his feet, resuming his fighting stance immediately after he did so. Focusing his energy into his right hand, Ryoku fired off a blade of power that shaved the ground as it approached its target. Under normal circumstances, Jun would have sidestepped the attack with ease, but doing so in this case would mean death for Kazuya and the Shinkengers and that was something she could not allow. With a slight flick of her hand, Jun deflected the blast back at Ryoku who flicked it away just as easily.

However, Ryoku did not expect Jun to repeat the exact same technique: with her own arm burning with power, Jun's fired off her own ki blade that came at Ryoku so fast that not even he could get out of the way in time. The blast cut his leg before dissipating on impact and Ryoku gritted his teeth accordingly. When Ryoku looked down to inspect his leg, however, he saw something that got his attention:

He was bleeding in numerous areas across his body.

_Unfathomable, _Ryoku thought as he looked at his bloodied stomach and leg. _Her attacks are so strong that they caused me to bleed! Not even Heihachi hurt this bad when he beat me an hour ago. I didn't think Jun had this kind of violent intent within her. _Wiping the blood off of his mouth as he once again resumed his stance, Ryoku's dark green ki swirled across his body. _Well, it makes no difference either way…there is one last ace I have up my sleeve in case it gets too crazy._

Taking the offensive, Jun rapidly advanced towards her father with her hands sparkling with her ki. As she took quick steps, Jun's hands rapidly fired off quick bursts of energy that showered Ryoku like baseballs from an automated pitching machine. The bursts became faster and more intense as Jun got closer to Ryoku. Once she was within striking distance, Jun shot out both her hands simultaneously into Ryoku's chest and sent him flying away like a comet with the beam coming out of her hands acting as the metaphorical comet's tail. "Shinken Secret Technique: **Golden Rain**!"

Ryoku landed on the ground with a sickening thud, vomiting up blood as he tried to get back onto his feet. However, Jun was not yet finished: she attacked her father no sooner than had he turned his head to face her and bombarded Ryoku with a rapid series of kicks before knocking him away with a standing roundhouse. When Jun was about to continue her offensive, Ryoku said something that forced her to stop in her tracks, "That's enough, my daughter…I give up."

"You…give up?" Jun repeated with surprise, though her voice gave no indication of such other than a pause between words.

"That's right, Jun," Ryoku said while he groggily stood back up. "It is still early in the battle, but I already know that I cannot defeat you like this: your overwhelming spirit has trumped my hands of steel." Coughing up some more dark red blood, Ryoku took a glimpse at his stained gi before looking back to his daughter. "Looks like you were right all along."

"I apologize if I hurt you, father, but you had to be stopped," Jun said with the sincerity expected of someone of her age and stature. With a polite bow, the slender martial artist continued. "However, I have to ask you to leave both myself and my family alone, and abandon this plan of chaos that you have in store for the world."

"Absolutely, kid," Ryoku let out a quick manly laugh before coughing up some more blood, this time spraying Jun's suit with crimson saliva. "Now how about you give your father a nice, old-fashioned hug?"

Jun raised an eyebrow beneath her helmet as she watched her father outstretch her arms. Even though she was highly psychic, she was having a lot of trouble getting a feel of what her father was thinking possibly due to the physical pain that the both of them were feeling. It was unlike her father to openly embrace her after all he had done the past week, but if there was a chance of them being a family again she would not push it aside easily.

"Father," Jun said with serene calm befitting of her relatively peaceful nature while she gently embraced her father, "thank you for cooperating."

"I'm proud of ya, kid: I may not act like it, but I am," Ryoku held her daughter close as he spoke. "That's why it pains me that I have to do…THIS!"

Suddenly, Ryoku's fatherly embrace transformed into a monstrous bear hug that elicited sharp cracking sounds as Jun let out a blood-curdling scream. "You're so gullible, Jun, even with your psychic powers. Did you stop to think that my own power could block you out?" Ryoku did not smile as he continued to listen to the cracking: Jun's spine would snap soon if she didn't suffocate first. "However, I wasn't lying when I said I was proud of you…I'll see you in the hereafter, kid!"

Before Ryoku could break his daughter, he felt a sharp pain in his back that forced him to drop his daughter. While Jun lie on the ground taking gasps of air, Ryoku darted around to see Kazuya still sitting on his rock, but now in his ShinkenSlayer suit and his finger smoking from the beam he had just fired off. "You really make me sick, Ryoku," Kazuya said as he stood up and walked towards the madman. "You had to beg for mercy just so you could gain the upper hand: that is low even by my standards."

"I never beg for mercy, Kazuya," Ryoku frowned upon hearing those words and prepared to combat his next assailant. "Let's at least get that much straight, or we won't be getting along well, at all."

Kazuya wasted no more time with idle banter as his slow walk evolved into a full run, ramming his shoulder into Ryoku and knocking the behemoth martial arts master down. Striking where he believed his opponent was most vulnerable, Kazuya lifted his leg and stomped his foot down on Ryoku's bleeding stomach. "You are damaged and wounded," Kazuya hissed as he grinded his heel into the wound, "and as such you will fall under my might."

Grabbing onto his foe's leg, Ryoku lifted Kazuya off of him and off the ground as well once the Aikido master had stood back up. No longer in the mood for anything fancy, Ryoku grabbed onto Kazuya's other leg and began beating him into the ground like a throw rug. "Maybe if I damage you worse than me, perhaps you'll show some respect for your elders," Ryoku yelled with a voice full of rage as he tossed Kazuya high into the air which his emerald ki swirled in his hands. As Kazuya came plummeting down, Ryoku let out a maniacal laugh before blasting the Mishima-ryu practitioner with a suddent burst of ki that sent him flying away.

Kazuya landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet just in time to duck under a standing roundhouse kick and knock Ryoku into the air with a forceful Electric Wind Godfist. With his opponent dangling in the air, Kazuya continued the assault with a snapping kick, a quick jab, and an impaling knee before concluding with a standing roundhouse kick that sent Ryoku spiraling away.

With agility and grace unexpected of his monstrous build, Ryoku landed on his feet to block Kazuya's swiping hook punch and counter with a palm thrust to his gut that forced his opponent onto his knees. With a snapping jump kick, Ryoku punted Kazuya away like a football player and propelled his flight further with a swiping elbow.

Before Ryoku could pursue, he felt a sharp pain in his back that caused him to stumble forwards slightly. "I had feeling you weren't out of the game yet," Ryoku said as he turned around to see Jun prepare for hand-to-hand combat once again. "All right, I'll be glad to give you another demonstration of the true power of our art!" However, Ryoku was attacked from behind once again as Kazuya took advantage of the opening given to him by bombarded his foe with a rapid series of ki bolts from his finger. Jun capitalized on this by sending her father rocketing into the sky with a powerful vertical elbow swipe, and Kazuya joined in by knocking him out of the sky with a Flying Slash kick.

"Are you alright, Kazuya?" Jun asked as Kazuya landed gracefully while Ryoku landed on his head. "You seem to have sustained damage from earlier…"

"I will be fine," he answered with a hiss, slightly annoyed that anyone could believe he would be too wounded for battle, "but it would seem that we now have a common enemy in your father. I understand that you can mimic any technique you witness: be so kind as to assist me with this particular maneuver." Pointing their left index fingers at Ryoku, Kazuya and Jun showered the madman with a hail of multi-colored bolts. The beams cut at Ryoku's skin and tore apart his gi like tissue paper, with blood spraying out of every new wound he received. When the two of them ceased firing, Ryoku fell back down on his knees and coughed up some more blood.

As Ryoku got back up, he was sent flying away yet again with a pair of Thunder Godfists that were perfect in execution as Kazuya and Jun performed them simultaneously. "Hey, timeout, kids," Ryoku put his hands up in a "t" shape as he took a quick breather. "You're playing a little too rough for my tastes." However, when he sat down on a rock, he felt a light tapping on his shoulder. Turning around to see who was doing so, Ryoku received a gloved fist to the face, followed by a swift tackle that knocked him down on the ground. It would seem that his grandson Jin had awoken.

"You damn son of a bitch," Jin cursed as his ShinkenRed suit instantly materialized onto his body before his fist came crashing down on Ryoku's jaw. "You have absolutely no honor: attacking your own daughter with the intent to kill!" The young man's rage was made apparent with his angry shouts and lethal fists that continued to rain down upon his loathsome foe. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill-"

"Leave some for me, Jin!"

Jin turned his head slightly and quickly got back up so that Asuka, who had just called out to him, could mount the behemoth and begin her own assault. "You make me sick, you asshole," Asuka shouted as her hands glowed with energy most fierce before shoving her sparkling palm into Ryoku's chest while her ShinkenWhite suit materialized onto her voluptuous form. "The very fact that I'm related to you makes me want to vomit repeatedly!"

Ryoku grabbed onto Asuka's throat and stood up while lifting her up with him. The man had lost his cocky smile, and was now wearing a frightening grimace full of rage that was made even scarier by the blood dripping off of him. "You nymphomaniac slut…you want me to give you reason to vomit?" Ryoku growled as he raised his fist in preparation for a killing blow. "How about I give your friends reason to vomit when I smash your head open like a walnut?"

The martial arts master dropped her before he could crush her skull, as his already-damaged back was slashed with a katana as Kenichi (in his ShinkenSilver guise) sprang into action and saved the woman he loved. "You have no right to even touch her, scumbag," Kenichi hissed with an uncharacteristically violent tone as he continued to slash at Ryoku's back with his weapon glowing bright green. "The only thing that should ever come into contact with you is the sharp end of this holy blade Hiirokane!"

Kenichi slashing spree was cut short when Ryoku parried the sword with his bare fist and knocked Hiirokane out of the youth's hand so that he could ram his shoulder into him, following with a punch to the gut and a palm thrust that knocked the boy over like a bowling pin. "Just for a rant that stupid, I hereby forbid you from ever touching my granddaughter again!" Raising his burning hands into the air, Ryoku tossed them down and created a devastating shockwave that rapidly approached Kenichi. "In fact, I'll send you so far into Hell, you'll never find her when her time comes!"

In a selfless act of friendship, Feng stepped in front of Kenichi and shot out his palm to nullify to shockwave just as his ShinkenBronze suit had fully materialized. Letting out a primal war cry, Feng took to the air and nailed Ryoku in the nose with a jumping Decapitating Sword kick that had Ryoku screeching across the ground like he was being dragged by an unknown force. Ryoku was stopped by Hwoarang's foot, and kicked into the air like a soccer ball.

"Here's an old favorite for an old geezer psycho like you," Hwoarang taunted as he morphed into ShinkenBlack while Ryoku began to fall back down to Earth. "Take a ride on my Overhead Strike!" Jumping into the air after Ryoku, Hwoarang sent his foe plummeting to the ground with a forward flip kick like the flippers in a pinball machine, forcing Ryoku to land flat on his face.

Like a rabid wolverine, Xiaoyu pounced onto Ryoku's back and began pounding at his head as she morphed into ShinkenYellow. Ryoku roared in rage and pain as Xiaoyu did everything from strike his temple with ki-infused palms to pull at his wiry hair. "Get off of me, you little runt," Ryoku snarled as he began running backwards into a nearby rock formation with the intent to crush the lithe Chinese woman. "Get off or I'll squash you flat!" Obeying his commands, Xiaoyu repositioned herself so that she was now latching onto Ryoku from his front before pushing herself off of him to allow the madman to crash into the stony pile by himself.

"We're not done with you yet, chum," Steve shouted as he lifted up Ryoku with his fist in the madman's bleeding gut and slamming him into the ground. "You started it, so now you'll have to finish it!" Lifting Ryoku back up as his ShinkenBlue suit materialized around his figure in a flash of blue light, Steve reared back and sent Ryoku soaring through the air at least fifteen meters with a sparkling uppercut: his recently-devised Hellfire Vertical.

Ryoku landed on his feet and coughed up some more blood as he shook off the dizziness just in time to avoid a crackling ball of dark purple energy tossed at him by Kazuya, which created an exposion that covered a ten meter radius and knocked Ryoku over. _I…don't believe this, _Ryoku thought bitterly as he stood back up to see his nine opponents standing together. _How could I have lost…they were at my mercy! I need to get out of here, and think of how to take them down next time!_

When Ryoku turned around, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and sent the Aikido master sprawling backwards. "There's not a cloud in the sky," Ryoku said out loud as the lightning took on physical form. "That can only mean one thing: my dear friend Heihachi has joined the party!"

"Where do you think you're going, Ryoku?" Heihachi said before crouching under Ryoku's punch and grabbing his neck as he came back up. "I hope you're not retreating, because I'll be very upset if you are!" Tossing him away as easily as he would toss a half-eaten apple, Heihachi threw Ryoku into a rock while he walked over to the other nine combatants. "It appears I have arrived just in time for the finale."

"What makes you think we needed you, father?" Kazuya scoffed without breaking his gaze at the struggling Ryoku. "We were doing just fine by ourselves."

"What's this 'we' you refer to," Kenichi butted in, pointing his blade at Kazuya. "Do not think for a second that this changes anything."

"If I participate in your ridiculous roll call, will that ease the tensions?" Kazuya turned his head towards the young martial artist and smirked beneath his helmet. Kenichi didn't believe Kazuya capable of a sense of humor, so the question surprised him. "I'll take your silence as a yes," Kazuya's voice became serious yet again as he turned to Ryoku, who was getting back on his feet and gathering his energy. "Now let's get this over with, and I shall have the head of anyone who speaks of this humiliation."

"Obliterating **all **foes, whether they be flesh, machine or god…" Entering his Raijin stance and powering up, Heihachi shot his fist into the air and let out a war cry. "…King of the Iron Fists: ShinkenLord!"

"Drowning foes in a cesspool of unending darkness…" Kazuya punched the ground with his crackling fist before doing a quick kick kata and stomping his foot on the ground. "…Disciple of Despair: ShinkenSlayer!"

"Cleansing foes with my purifying light…" Jun snapped her fingers and tossed a high kick into the air before getting into her own unique defensive stance. "…Holy Defender of Truth: ShinkenGold."

"Crushing **hundreds **of foes with my hands of judgment…" Feng's arms spun around wildly before striking one of his many Kempo stances, "…Champion of the Three Kingdoms: ShinkenBronze!"

"**ZERO**," Kenichi shot out his closed fist in the air and then stomped his foot on the ground as he got into a horse stance. "Cutting down foes with my undying soul…Dazzling Warrior of the Void: ShinkenSilver!"

"**ONE**," Sticking his left index finger high into the air, Hwoarang fired off a roundhouse kick into the air before entering his Flamingo Stance. "Striking down foes with fatal footwork…Tae Kwan Do-estilo: ShinkenBlack!"

"**TWO**," Her left index and middle fingers pointing skyward, Asuka went into her defensive stance. "Overcoming foes with daunting defense...Aikido-estilo: ShinkenWhite!"

"**THREE**," Steve stuck up three fingers in the air and then brought then down to get into his trademark Flicker stance. "Beating down foes with peerless punches…Boxing-estilo: ShinkenBlue!"

"**FOUR**," With all her fingers on her left hand up in the air save for her thumb, Xiaoyu brought the hand back down and went into her Phoenix Stance. "Overwhelming foes with blinding speed…Kung Fu-estilo! ShinkenYellow!"

"**FIVE**," His open palm shooting into the sky, Jin went into his Power Stance. "Smashing foes with the fists of fury…Karate-estilo! ShinkenRed!" Once the rest of his unlikely team got out of their respective stances, Jin spoke once again while pointing a finger at their adversary, who was still burning with dark green fire. "Under the power of our divine fists, chaos shall never thrive!"

In a brilliant flash of many different colors, the group gathered their respective power while the jewels their chests flashed violently, striking a dynamic pose as they shouted out their mighty name and bringing renewed vigor to what was certain to be their final battle under that name. "TEKKENSHU SENTAI…**SHINKENGER!!!"**

"No one appreciates a good roll call like I do, ladies and gentlemen," Ryoku shouted back as he raised his arms high into the air in preparation for his move devastating technique. "It's such a shame I'm going to have to leave the lot of you broken and dead!" Throwing his arms down onto the ground, Ryoku created a vortex of green swirling energy that surrounded his body. However, it quickly increased in size and diameter to a point where it would certainly swallow up the Shinkengers. "This is my most powerful one yet: not even you will be able to survive it!"

Still crackling with power, the Shinkengers countered the maneuver with ten devastating rays of energy that clashed against Ryoku's technique like a cannonball to a steel barrier. The two forces clashed furiously, but neither side could gain the upper hand: it would all come down to who would tire out first. The wind howled in the combatants' faces, as the two opposing forces created dark clouds and torrential rain from the sky. As Feng Wei had described it earlier that day, it was as if there was a battle between gods that dated back to before the dawn of time.

Ryoku's wounds continued to ooze blood like a fountain, and the Aikido master started to feel light in the head. Unfortunately for him, that instant of weakness was all it took for the Shinkengers to overcome him. Punching through his barrier, the beams went through Ryoku like wax paper, tearing through his muscles and bones and bringing forth loud, unearthly screams. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT," Ryoku cursed as he felt his body tear apart within his enemies' overwhelming powers. "I suggest the lot of you stay alive as long as you can…because I'll be waiting patiently for you when your time comes!"

When the screaming had stopped, the Shinkengers ceased firing and looked at the aftermath. There was nothing there, not even a corpse. All that remained of Ryoku were a few scraps of his bloody clothes and one of his gray armguards. Jun slowly walked towards her father's remains and picked up the armguard before looking at the cloth. "It is over," she said to herself while the rest of the "team" walked up next to her. "He has been defeated, and sent back to the hereafter where he belongs…"

"So…" Hwoarang picked up the cloth and inspected it before continuing, "…I guess it's over."

"Not yet," Heihachi said with a hint of rage as he suddenly reached out of Kazuya and grabbed him by the throat. Rearing his head back, Heihachi rammed his head into Kazuya's face with so much force that his son's helmet shattered like an eggshell and sent him screeching across the ground. Satisfied with a job well done, Heihachi turned to the others and said, "_Now_ it's over."

"Asshole," Kazuya muttered before he dusted himself off and looked to Jin. "So tell me, my son…what do plan on doing with me now that I am at your mercy?"

"I still want my answers, scumbag," Jin hissed while his ShinkenRed suit dissipated in a flash of red light. "Normally I'd try and beat it out of you, but I'm too tired so I will ask you like a civilized human being." Walking towards Kazuya and leaning over so that he was next to his ear and the others could not hear him, Jin whispered, "just what exactly is your, or rather _our,_ connection to Asuka?"

"…meet me at the Tokyo Metro Hospital helipad in two days at 1800 hours," Kazuya whispered back before walking to Jun. "I will tell you everything there is to know about her. Until then, tend to your wounds with the knowledge that you have successfully foiled my plans yet again. You are victorious, so celebrate while you can."

"Somehow, I think my father knew that he would fall by the combined might of our hands, Kazuya," Jun spoke just above a whisper while she and Kazuya walked away from the celebrating Shinkengers. "Even though it was our hands that brought him back into the world, I still find it ironic…"

"Fate is often a mean-spirited jester," Kazuya answered bitterly as he turned his head slightly to see Heihachi walking away from the group, as well. "I should know this better than anyone…who would have thought my own offspring would become heroes?"


	31. Episode 30: Back to Normal

I can't believe Captain America was killed off...what the hell is Marvel thinking, killing off one of the most successful comic book characters in history? Next they'll want to off Spidey...again...

After this is the Epilogue!

_----_

_8:30 AM_

Twenty-seven days had past since Astaroth had first attacked Tokyo, and the war that the golem had started had finally ended between the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger and Astaroth's "master" Kazuya Mishima. The Shinkengers were tempted to bring Kazuya to the proper authorities, but Heihachi and Jun convinced the sestet to hold back their wrath: Kazuya had been utterly defeated, and he wouldn't try any more dark resurrections after one of them betrayed him and forced him to side with the Sentai team.

_And now that it's all over_, Heihachi mused as he read the newspaper while he sipped his tea, _everything is going to slip back to the way it was. _The younger Shinkengers were scattered about the many rooms of the Mishima mansion, still sleeping off the after-effects of the excruciating battle with Ryoku Kazama the day before. _I suppose that it is for the better that Ryoku has returned to the land of the dead: he was but a ghost that no longer had a place in this world. I wonder…is that my soul's fate when my time comes?_

"Heihachi-sempai."

Heihachi turned to the doorway to see his young ward Xiaoyu, wearing yellow pajamas with her long black hair let down from their normal pigtails and flowing freely as she walked to the kitchen table. _Look at how much she's grown, _Heihachi stroked his chin in contemplation as he watched the young woman take a seat. _Things may slip back into the mainstream, but the players will always remember these events. _"Good morning, Xiaoyu," Heihachi nodded before going back to his newspaper. "I trust you had a decent slumber: how are your wounds?"

"They're healing fine, thank you," Xiaoyu bowed her head before reaching over to a pastry that was sitting on the table. "How are the repairs on the house coming?"

"I managed to get all of the holes covered until proper repairs can be made," Heihachi replied, once again lowering his newspaper to look at Xiaoyu, "but I am curious as to why your friends have not joined us for breakfast. Did they leave before I came back from my morning kata?"

"Everyone has a lot of stuff to do today," Xiaoyu nodded her head as she poured herself a glass of milk from the carton sitting on the table. "Steve has a boxing match, Jin is taking his morning jog, and the others I'm not sure about. They all left just before I woke up, though." Xiaoyu looked up to see Heihachi looking back at her. "Heihachi-sempai, is something wrong?"

"I am just thinking about how much you've grown from that wide-eyed runt that you were when you first came here," Heihachi answered with a smirk as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the sink to wash his face. After drying his face, Heihachi continued. "When we first met, you threatened to go crazy unless I gave you the funds to build your own amusement park."

"I still want to build one, but I know that I can't put something as selfish as that in front of my friends," Xiaoyu looked up at the ceiling as she reminisced to that fateful day she snuck on Heihachi's private yacht. "I guess it changed after I saw how much hatred was brewing between you and Jin…"

"I am no fool, Xiaoyu: I am well aware that you have taken a romantic interest into my grandson," Heihachi's voice remained full of dominance and poise as he began to slowly pace the room dramatically. "You are not a child anymore, Xiaoyu: your graduation from my high school is but a couple of months away. You must make your stand on where you want your life to go, and whose company you want to keep on the path to your destiny."

Xiaoyu was silent for a long time as she slowly digested the King of the Iron Fist's words. Usually Heihachi would ask her about how her training was progressing, or if her grades were still high enough to meet his lofty expectations of her. This was the first time she had heard him talk about more personal matters, and she truthfully had not thought about those matters herself. "Heihachi-sempai, is something bothering you?" she finally said while she noticed Heihachi's serious expression.

"You already know about the dark history of my family, as well as all of the vile things I have done to them," Heihachi sat back down and made eye contact with his youthful ward. "Since my defeat at the hands of your grandfather Jinrei, I have made it my mission to end the Mishima feud in an attempt to regain my honor. I have done many a sin to my grandson, and now I wish to remedy that by helping him find peace in life, just as you are helping him. If you want to lead him to a better life, then hold nothing back: bare your soul for him to see!"

After listening to his impressive speech, Xiaoyu smiled cheerfully and nodded her head in approval. "Thank you very much, Heihachi!" The lithe young lady stood up and bowed her head once again as she prepared to leave the kitched. "I'll get dressed and tell him as soon as he gets back!"

"Hold it right there, Xiaoyu," Heihachi's voice suddenly became stern as Xiaoyu stopped dead in her tracks. "You still allowed strangers to come here and live in the rooms without paying rent. Therefore, you will have to pay for them with this simple task." Heihachi smirked as he pointed a finger at Xiaoyu and boomed, "Xiaoyu…make me a sandwich!"

------

_10:00 AM_

It was a beautiful day for a fight in the Jindai Shokubutsu Park. Earlier in the week, Steve agreed to do a charity match during the sunny Saturday afternoon. He still had three hours before his fight, but Steve had always believed that to be early is to be on time. _The traffic in this city is as bad as it is in London, maybe even worse: there's curfew back home that helps prevent non-stop traffic! _

Steve wasn't bitter towards the city of Tokyo, however. This city had given him his fair share of troubles, but it had also given him something that couldn't be taken away: friendship, experience, and a newfound faith in his fellow man. Steve had met many different people during his tenure as ShinkenBlue, and they had helped him grow into a better person just as he helped them.

Parking his vehicle in a nearby parking lot, Steve stepped out of the car and began walking towards the park entrance as he reminisced to when he first came to Tokyo. Before he left for London, his friend Lei Wulong had given him a strange device and told him "he'd need it if he was heading for Tokyo." As soon as he got there, he witnessed a priceless artifact from the British Museum being hijacked by Astaroth. Needless to say, he was rather surprised to what the device did once he battled the golem and his magnetic comrade Polevolt.

_I was turned into a superhero, and then I met up with four others with powers just like mine, _Steve arrived at the park entrance and walked through the gate to see the boxing ring that was still being set up. _I suppose it's fortunate that they all happened to be acquaintances of mine, but now they're people I can gladly depend on, even someone like Feng Wei. _

As he looked at his morpher while he remembered meeting Feng and receiving an icy palm to his chest, he heard a familiar voice shout his name. Turning around to see where the voice had come from, he spotted his good friend Hwoarang running alongside a woman who was wearing a white tanktop, a blue jean-skirt, and zebra-striped boots. "'ello there, mate," Steve nodded before turning to the woman. "Who's your friend?"

"You make me sad, pal," the woman said as she rolled her eyes and turned away. "You don't remember the King of Iron Fist veteran Michelle Chang? Kids these days have no respect for their history."

"And that's exactly what you are, Chang," Hwoarang said with his voice full of its usual arrogance while he turned to Steve. "You're lucky that I was nice enough to give a ride to the park. I bet your legs would have given out before you could make it to the Shinjuku district."

"For your information, sonny, my thighs are world-renowned!" Chang answered in a huff before smiling at letting out a long laugh. "Now, I'm going to let you kids have your fun while I go get some ice cream. You guys want me to bring you anything?" After seeing the both of them shake their heads, Michelle waved goodbye and walked off.

"Giving a ride to strangers?" Steve raised an eyebrow as he watched Hwoarang step into the boxing ring and do a quick kick kata. "That's not like you unless you want something in return…you do realize she's nearly twice your age, right?"

"I'm not into older women, simple as that," Hwoarang replied before flipping over the top rope of the ring and landing gracefully on his feet. "I was just returning a favor she did for me back when I was still hunting Astaroth." The Korean let out a deep sigh as he lifted his right hand and looked at his own morpher. "It's weird…I don't think I would've felt obliged to do anything before I met up with you guys."

"You've certainly changed a lot since we first met a little over a year ago," Steve commented while he finally put down the duffle bag he was carryng. "I'd like to think it was for the better…so did you ever have the chance to have you big bout with Jin?"

"We're holding it off until he gets the answers he needs from his asshole dad," Hwoarang looked up into the sky before sitting down on the ground with his hand cradling his chin. "I'm not going to fight him until he's ready to put everything he's got into it. It's no fun giving someone an ass-beating if they're not entirely into the battle: it makes both combatants look bad."

"A philosophical Hwoarang: I never thought I would see the day," Steve chuckled before pulling out a pair of boxing gloves. "So I'm going to assume that after that, it's back to South Korea. Are you here to watch my charity match with King?"

A mischievous smirk came across Hwoarang's face as he unexpectedly attacked Steve as soon as he strapped on his gloves. Steve bent over backwards just in time to avoid the foot to his face. After looking at the surprised look in his British friend's face, Hwoarang gave an explanation to his attack. "How about you warm up a little bit with a real first-class fighter like yours truly?" His morphed started to hum to life as Hwoarang continued. "Let's do it hardcore-style…whattya say?"

Steve cracked a smile of his own before his own morpher glowed with power. After an instant, the same glow began to spread across his body while Hwoarang's glow did the same. Once their suits had completely formed across their bodies, Steve entered his fighting stance while Hwoarang did the same. "OK then, Hwoarang," Steve's smile did not fade, even beneath his helmet, as he spoke, "let's go crazy!"

-------

_11:30 AM_

"I've finally found you."

Feng looked up from his table to see where the voice had come from. He still had much work to do in Japan as long as G-Corporation had their hands on the sacred Shinken scrolls, and he agreed to meet a Tekken Force officer at a local diner so that he could gather more information about them. Even though Feng had been in their employ briefly, he was left in the dark involving their schemes.

When he received the name of his contact, he was more than a little surprised. Gazing upon the said contact, Feng stroked his chin in thought. _Interesting…I can definitely see a resemblance between him and that woman: they have the same aura of determination._

"My name is Colonel Stan Janairo of the Tekken Fighter Peace Corps. My daughter Lucy told me all about you," the Hawaii native said with a salute before sitting down at the table Feng was sitting at. "I would like to thank you for saving her that day: I am in your debt."

"I did not do much," Feng grumbled as the waitress came over to their table and handed him a cup of tea. "It was Dragoon who saved her life, not me: I foolishly chose to watch her from afar while he came to her rescue. I am not a hero, so please do not treat me as such."

"I am sorry about your friend: it has been very hard on Lucy, to have someone she fell in love with die before her eyes less than fifteen minutes after meeting him," Stan took out a cigarette from his pocket and pulled out a lighter from his other one. "I suppose it's for the better: it might not have worked out, being he wasn't even human…"

Feng's hand slammed down on the table with such force that he created a fissure in the hardwood and caused Stan to jump up out of his seat in surprise. "Colonel, I would appreciate it if you did not refer to Dragoon as some inhuman beast," Feng growled quietly with rage before regaining his composure and reclining in his seat again. "He was more human than you'll ever know, and quite possibly more than I'll ever know as well."

"Forgive me, I suppose I spoke out of turn," Stan bowed his head in shame slightly before putting the suitcase he brought with him into the diner onto the table and opening it. Inside the suitcase were numerous compact discs and folders. "Inside this suitcase is everything you requested: all of the information we have gathered on G-Corporation and its subsidiaries are within the discs and in the folders."

Feng reached for one of the brown folders and removed it from the suitcase before opening it and quickly skimming its contents before putting it down and shaking the man's hand. "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Colonel. I will use to this to continue making sure that G-Corporation's fiendish ambitions never come into full fruition."

_The road to redemption will be a long one, _Feng mused while he closed the suitcase and put it down next to him as Stan opened his menu sitting in front of him. _However, I must stay the course: as a warrior, it is my duty to regain my honor and to bring justice to those who have been wronged._

"I must go now," Feng bowed his head politely to Stan before standing up and taking his suitcase with him. "Thank you very much for all of the information you have given me. Tell Lucy that I avenged Dragoon's death, and ask if she could light a candle for me in his honor."

As Feng stepped out of the diner with his suitcase, he spotted a familiar woman wearing a golden silk bustier, a red silk skirt with slit on the side to allow her legs more freedom, and brown sandals. There were numerous types of jewelry across her body, and her ebony hair was arranged in a peculiar way that Feng could only describe as a distant relative of pigtails. "You are Miss Zafina, I presume," Feng said while he confronted the woman. "I have been waiting for you."

"I can see it in your eyes, you wish to challenge me," the woman stretched her arms out slowly, almost in a seductive way, before continuing. "You called me all the way here just to fight? Be warned, I am not an easy target…"

"That is exactly why I summoned you to this city," Feng assumed a fighting stance after putting down his suitcase. "In order to complete my holy mission, I must train against the most powerful of foes, and your reputation has me believe that you qualify. Now come!"

With a smirk, Zafina cracked her knuckles and assumed her own fighting stance. "…don't say I didn't warn you."

_The road to redemption will be long, _Feng told himself once again as he prepared for the woman's oncoming assault, _so until I reach my destination, I will continue to strive to become the best in the world!_

--------

_2:00 PM_

The arcades in Tokyo were some of the busiest places in the city. People of all ages came to this electronic carnival to unwind from the daily stresses of life and enjoy a wide variety of video games that ranged from classics like skee-ball and whack-a-mole to highly advanced motion-sensing games that simulated things like dancing and boxing.

Kenichi came here not to amuse himself, but to meet his teacher Yoshimitsu after weeks of not hearing from him. He had received a message earlier that morning to talk with him at the local arcade. _I could think of better places to meet him, but I won't argue with him, _Kenichi thought to himself as he scanned the arcade for his sensei. _It's too bad I didn't take Asuka with me: she'd love being taken to a place like this…_

The youthful martial artist wouldn't have to look far: he spotted his sensei clad in dark blue armor with numerous dark red wires covering any openings in the armor and a golden horn coming out of the forehead of his helmet. His face was covered with a hannya mask and further veiled with a lavender visor. _He must have been busy if he hasn't had time to modify his suit, _Kenichi noticed while he walked over to the machine that Yoshimitsu was occupied with: a motion-sensing sword-fighting simulator called "Mark of the Blade."

"Greetings, Masamune-san," Yoshimitsu didn't even have to turn away from his game to know that his apprentice was standing next to him as he spoke with his deep voice. "I apologize for leaving on such short notice, but there was something that needed my attention. Who won the battle?"

"We did, sensei," Kenichi bowed his head in respect as he watched Yoshimitsu progress through his video game with relative ease, watching the plastic hilt in his sensei's hand move around with the grace of a master. "Thank you very much for allowing me to help my friends, and to see Asuka again."

"I understand that she will have to be leaving to go home soon," Yoshimitsu commented, surprising Kenichi with his sudden interest in her while his gaze continued to remain fixated on the game. "You should go to her, and tell her just how deeply you love her. I know it's probably not a secret that you do, but saying something might help with the heartache."

Kenichi was silent for a few seconds as he pondered his master's words, although Yoshimitsu himself continued to hack his way through the machine's AI. After a moment, Kenichi replied, "I'm afraid that if I do tell her, it'll make leaving that much more painful. Nothing would make me happier than to hold her in my arms, and spend the rest of my life with her at my side." Kenichi clenched his fist as he tried to maintain composure. "How can I dare leave her after I tell her that, sensei? I swore by the scar on my back that I would cleanse the bloodline that allowed Sorel to violate her mind and body, but at the same time being away from her makes me lose my focus!"

Kenichi turned around, as if he were afraid to face his sensei (even though he was well aware that Yoshimitsu didn't mind as he was pre-occupied with his game), but saw a familiar sight once he did: the very same woman he was talking about, his beloved Asuka Kazama. There was a slightly shocked expression on her face, which told Kenichi that she had heard enough of his words. "Asuka," Kenichi whispered as he walked over to her, "what are you doing here?"

"I came to do some gaming, but instead I found you," she said before wrapping her arms around Kenichi and bringing him into an embrace. "I suppose it's just as well: that was really sweet what you said, and it's even sweeter that you held it in because you thought it would make leaving less painful…"

"…I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Asuka," Kenichi whispered in her ear, unaware that small crowd was gathering to watch the scene unfold. "It's just that when you go back to Osaka tomorrow, watching you go with knowing how much I care about you will make it harder for me to let go."

"Well, it's just dandy that I won't be leaving," Asuka said with her normal cocky attitude, causing Kenichi to let go of her and raise an eyebrow in bewilderment. Cracking a smile, Asuka explained further. "Dad called up and had me transferred to Mishima High School for the rest of the year! Now I can be as close to you as I damn well please, and trust me: that's pretty close."

"W-what do you mean by that?" Kenichi's cheeks reddened as his heart rate picked up speed. He had spent the last couple of days worrying about her leaving to go back home, and now he had just learned that all of his worrying was for naught. It was proving to be such a spectacle that Yoshimitsu turned his head to watch the couple while he was battling the final boss of his game.

"It's my turn to tell you how deeply _I_ have the hots for _you_," Asuka quickly took off her sleeveless jacket and tossed it to a nearby skeeball machine as she once again wrapped her arms around Kenichi. "I want to hold you in my arms and do things to you that are anything but family-friendly. I'm no fan of being a housewife, but starting a family with you is pretty high on my list, too, once we graduate from school and everything…" Asuka lifted her head to look into Kenichi's Prussian blue eyes, while Kenichi felt himself getting lost in her auburn pearl-like eyes. She could feel his heart pounding, and Kenichi could feel her heart beginning to beat louder. As her face gradually became closer to his, Asuka whispered, "…so how about it, dreamboat?"

"A happy ending after all of the chaos," he whispered back before gently touching her lips with his own, "it is like a godsend…thank you for helping me see it."

"Well, do not just stand there gawking," Yoshimitsu suddenly piped up after finishing off the final boss and turning to the crowd watching the couple share a tender kiss. "Get out your cameras and take mementos of how this young couple found happiness!"

The murmurs and flashing of cameras did nothing to take away from Asuka and Kenichi's moment…

---------

_5:00 PM_

Jin parked his car in the driveway of the Mishima Mansion and left the vehicle only to open it once again and take out the groceries he had purchased minutes before. He had had an eventful day: after his morning jog, Xiaoyu confronted him and, to his surprise, confessed her love to him. _It would seem that the time has come to make some commitments, _Jin had thought while he closed the door and began walking towards the door. _Xiaoyu has always been by my side, so the least I can do is stay by her side. _

As he thought about that, Jin suddenly felt a presence sneak up behind him. Upon turning his head, he noticed that no one was there. When he turned his head back forward, however, he spotted the presence: a stunningly beautiful ninja wearing a purple bodysuit that was open in the center to let her cleavage be revealed, with her face covered in a white kitsune mask. Jumping from the lamppost she was standing on and landing gracefully on Jin's car with her long red hair flowing elegantly in the wind and white sandals gently thumping against the roof of the vehicle, the woman spoke, "Hello, Kazama…I do not believe we've been introduced…"

"Don't bother: I know who you are, Kunimitsu," Jin growled as he pointed an accusing finger at the woman. "You're a renowned thief who was banished from the Manjitou a couple of decades ago, and then you fell into the employ of my father before disappearing for twenty years and reappearing in my tournament." Jin walked over to his car and tried to grab Kunimitsu's ankle. "What are you doing here: have you come to rob me in front of my eyes?"

All Jin received, however, was a quick kick to the face that caused him to reel back in pain while Kunimitsu remained standing on the car. "Don't flatter yourself, Kazama: if I was going to steal from you, you wouldn't even see me." Jin prepared to attack Kunimitsu, but when he noticed that she did not assume her own stance, Jin lowered his fists. Seeing that she had gotten the young man's attention, Kunimitsu continued. "My current employers have some vital information regarding your 'cousin.'"

"I already know she has a Devil Gene, and I'm going to be getting the answers I need tomorrow," Jin spat back, apparently sickened to even be speaking to someone he had deemed a thug. "Get off of my car, or I'll call the police."

"Idiot, for all you know I _am_ the police now," Kunimitsu's hand suddenly lashed out, tossing something at Jin with such speed that the young man barely had time to catch it in his hand. Opening his hand, Jin looked at the projectile and saw that it was a simple Flash Drive. "Even if your father explains everything, just use this to make sure he's telling the truth, or you can use it as a spoiler…"

"Why are you helping me, Kunimitsu?" Jin questioned the woman as she prepared to leave. "You never struck me as an altruist…"

"That's for me to know, and you not to find out," she replied with a hint of arrogance as Jin looked at the Flash Drive with curiosity. When Jin looked back up to face the woman, she had already disappeared as quickly and mysteriously as she had come.

Putting the Flash Drive in his pocket, Jin picked up his groceries and prepared to enter the Mansion. _I wonder what that was all about, _he pondered while he put his groceries down again so he could open the door. _I guess I shouldn't worry about it: for all I know this Flash Drive could be viral and wipe out the Zaibatsu's mainframe…_

_Well, regardless of whether Asuka is my cousin, or something more, it makes little difference in the long run, _Jin concluded with a smile as he looked at the guest room to see his comrades being sociable with each other. Steve and Feng were playing a game of chess, Hwoarang and Asuka were at the television set watching a television program that seemed to have them laughing, while Xiaoyu and Kenichi were sitting on the hardwood floor talking about who-knows-what with a cup of tea sitting next to either of them.

"It's about time you got here," Hwoarang looked away from the television and pressed the pause button on his controller as he walked over to rummage through the grocery bags. "Where's the booze?"

"Don't attack him, you idiot," Asuka shouted after Hwoarang as she took one of the bags and carried it to the kitchen. "There's plenty enough to go around!"

_It doesn't make a different because in the end she's still my friend, just like everyone else here is my friend, _Jin smiled as he took the rest of the groceries into the kitchen while his friends walked in after him. _Regardless of whether we're together or separate: we'll always be friends…as we'll always be Shinkengers!_


	32. Epilogue: Old Demons

_It was over…_

_It had been twenty-eight days since I had completed my first spell and revived the golem Astaroth, and started a war between my son that would span across the city of Tokyo in a game in which the number of game pieces constantly fluctuated. Now, the very same lab I had performed the ritual was about to be burned to the ground by my own hand._

_As I looked around inside to complex as I planted the final explosive, I looked around and reminisced to a time when I was the sole ruler of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Within this lab, I created monstrosities and living weapons solely to do my bidding, just like I had been doing the past month. Perhaps the reason I began these experiments were not to further my ambitions, but to relive old thrills._

_However, there comes a time where a boy must put aside his toys and become a man. The past is the past, and it was time for me to move on._

_I stepped out of the lab and looked at the afternoon sky, I once again thought about what I was doing. This laboratory was the last remaining part of my old empire that was untouched by my father. Saying farewell to it suddenly became harder, and was beginning to reconsider what I was doing._

_It only took one thing, however, to goad me to staying the course: the sight of three graves at the top of the hill that was neighboring the lab. The first grave was marked with the remains of Astaroth's ax Kutules: the blade of the ax, or rather the "hatchet" as that would best describe its present condition, was dug into the ground. The second grave was denoted with the two-pronged shuriken/katana couple known as Rusty Wing and Red Crow, dug into the ground the same way Kutules was sitting. The final grave, which had just been completed by Jun, was the scrap of cloth that remained of Ryoku's gi, hung up with a wooden cross._

_Loyalty and treachery, sitting side by side: the irony of such a formation was almost laughable. While I walked up to the peak of the hill, Jun stood up and watched as I turned around to look at the laboratory one last time. "You do not have to destroy it, Kazuya," she said in that unwavering voice of hers. "A test of your willpower is not always a bad thing to have."_

"_I was having second thoughts about it just a moment ago: the temptation is too great," I replied while I pulled out the detonator. "Besides, others might want to try and duplicate what I have been doing here, whether it is the sins I committed twenty years ago, or twenty days ago. The game ends here, with the destruction of this base."_

"_You're shooing away old demons…there was a time I thought you would never be able to do so," Jun smiled at this, as if she found comfort in my words. "I am glad to see that the skepticism that had been budding inside me was incorrect…"_

"_Do not jump to conclusions, Jun: my ambition still burns strong. As long as I can still clench my fists, my revenge will come someday." As I prepared to push the button that would decide the fate of the old laboratory, I pondered Jun's words about how I was shooing away old demons. Was it possible that she was indeed correct: that all of the evil I had done over the past few weeks was but a bizarre route towards redemption?_

_Delaying no further, I pressed the button and watched the explosions burst across the lab. At first, the building maintained its structure, suffering only damage to its outer wall, but after the fourth explosion it began to catch fire and finally detonate itself. As I watched the building burn, Jun spoke once again. "There is something on your mind: what can it be?"_

"_I am thinking about how you struck down your father without regret nor mercy," I answered while she finally turned to face me. "I did not think you capable of such a dark feat."_

"_He was but a ghost: I was merely returning him back to his rightful place." Jun turned her head away as she said that so that she was now facing her father's grave. She was silent was a few moments and then turned to watch the laboratory continue to blaze. "However, I do see the irony of your words: I have long considered myself an advocate of peace, and to take a stand like that might seem odd."_

"_If I am on the path of redemption, then perhaps you are but a stone's throw away from damnation," I chuckled at the irony while we continued to watch the fire burn. "At this rate, I might be the one saving you: wouldn't that be something?"_

_Jun said nothing while she turned around and began to walk away, but I saw her smile as she passed by me. I still wonder what she found amusing about what I said, but I suppose I will never know._

_A couple of minutes later, someone else approached me: my brother Lee Chaolan. Watching the laboratory go up in smoke, Lee put his hands on his head and gasped. "What the hell happened here," he said with that ignorant tone of voice he had become so well-acquainted with. "Isn't that the old laboratory?"_

"_It **was** the old laboratory," I answered with a scoff before turning around to leave. "Now it is just a blazing heap of wreckage. You're welcome to have whatever is left of it after it finishes burning to the ground…" _

_As I conclude this recording, I leave whoever is listening to this a moment to grasp what I have told you. Write a book about it, make a film about it, or simply tell it to your colleagues: it makes little difference to me. However, never forget this tale I told you: the tale of the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger!_

------

I suppose suddenly having a chapter that is 1000 words long when I've been cranking out ones that have been 3900+ words long since July seems awkward, but I suppose it makes little difference in the long run. Speaking of long runs, this fic was nearly twice as big as my previous one despite being a little under ten chapters shorter. I really hope those of you who were mature enough to keep on reading despite the odd plot enjoyed it.

I've lost count of how much negative feedback I've received not from how it was written, but from the plot. Honestly, what is so wrong about it? I took an idea that had been seldom thought of before, and expanded upon it to create a story. But enough of my man-whining: time for the credits.

A **very** special shout-out goes out to **DigitalCount**, as I do not think I would have been able to do this story without him. It was he who created the basic costume designs for the Shinkenger team, and it was he who helped organize my ideas early in the fic. Here's looking at ya, Josh.

I would also like to thank:

**Firebat**: for being an amazing friend, writer, and person.

**Namco-Bandai: **for creating the Tekken series and for sponsoring the Super Sentai franchise for thirty-one seasons now.

And **you**: for reading my story.


End file.
